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Film Discussion => The Small Screen => Topic started by: Kal on September 11, 2013, 04:29:39 PM

Title: Better Call Saul
Post by: Kal on September 11, 2013, 04:29:39 PM
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn3-www.craveonline.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F04%2FSaul-Goodman.jpg&hash=76cf95773a8cb7b24dd1b6ce4322249de5fd16c1)

Better Call Saul!

http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/11/4720308/breaking-bad-prequel-series-better-call-saul-is-coming-to-amc (http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/11/4720308/breaking-bad-prequel-series-better-call-saul-is-coming-to-amc)
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on September 11, 2013, 04:44:21 PM
Wow, I guess it's official then. And here's the original Deadline story:

http://www.deadline.com/2013/09/breaking-bad-saul-goodman-spinoff-amc-series/

Might as well make a new thread too.

So Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould are co-creating this. But I actually hope Vince moves onto something else and leaves this in Peter Gould's hands. That's more likely, right?
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Reel on September 11, 2013, 04:50:58 PM
Quote from: Jeremy Blackman on September 11, 2013, 04:44:21 PM
I actually hope Vince moves onto something else and leaves this in Peter Gould's hands. That's more likely, right?

He's already said that's exactly what he'll do. Sorry, I can't confirm where. So many podcasts...


This is exciting! I knew that would be the title. I couldn't imagine what they'd do that'd take place after Breaking Bad, but a prequel I wasn't expecting. So I guess we get to see where Saul broke.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Kal on September 11, 2013, 05:07:10 PM
Well, I'm glad they clarify it's a prequel because we don't know what will still happen to Saul in BB.

Hopefully he won't die, but very likely he won't be the same after this is all over.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on September 11, 2013, 05:17:20 PM
Thank you Reelist, that's a relief.

My instinct is to be skeptical that this could ever be great. I would cite The Lone Gunmen as a precedent. That show may have predicted 9/11, but it was not great. Then I would counter that by saying that the character of Saul Goodman is ten times better than all of the lone gunmen combined.

Plus, everyone involved is amazing. And if all else fails, Bob Odenkirk will carry it.

My two hopes for the show:

- It better be heavily serialized.
- This should be the mirror image of Breaking Bad: a comedic show with a dramatic edge.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: polkablues on September 11, 2013, 05:28:33 PM
What could work is if they cast David Cross as Saul's law partner, and then throw away the plot and characters and turn it into a sketch show.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Mel on September 12, 2013, 05:33:54 AM
From first article:

QuoteIt will be an hour-long show that is expected to focus more on the lighter side of things...

This is surprise for me, I was expecting half-hour format. Could be interesting - I can think of something similar to Justified, not plain comedy.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Gold Trumpet on September 12, 2013, 07:16:47 PM
Still haven't watched the show (waiting for it to end first), but Peter Gould said a few months ago he was interested in a spin off and liked the idea of the timeline being after Breaking Bad and his character the mayor of Las Vegas (or something). Guess it didn't work out that way.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Tictacbk on September 13, 2013, 04:43:16 AM
I feel like they may just be covering their ass with the whole "prequel" thing, but who knows?

I think this could be great.  It's clearly a comedy, and it's got Bob Odenkirk at it's center, so whats not to love? (In that regard, everyone get ready for the sketch show he's producing for IFC "The Birthday Boys" its gonna be awesome.) 

The only weird thing is the hour long length, but i guess Orange is the New Black is pulling that off, right? I haven't seen it,  I'd like to see AMC get a decent comedy, and move into that genre since they're dominating drama.  I'm guessing Vince G will ease Peter Gould into this and then try to move on to the feature career he deserves. 


Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: MacGuffin on October 16, 2013, 02:37:46 PM
'Breaking Bad's' Vince Gilligan Reveals Details of 'Saul' Spinoff and Terror Over What's Next
The anxiety-ridden showrunner on what he's mulling (a Western film), saying no to dozens of film pitches and how Jeffrey Katzenberg courted him, even as he admits "the odds of winning the lottery [twice] are pretty infinitesimal."

This story first appeared in the Oct. 25 issue of The Hollywood Reporter [1] magazine.

It was mid-February of this year when Vince Gilligan settled in to finish the script for Breaking Bad's 62nd and final episode.

Filming was set to begin in a little over a week. He sat down at the dining-room table of his Albuquerque, N.M., condo, which had doubled as the temporary home of Bryan Cranston's Walter White when his wife kicked him out of the house a few seasons earlier. With an Old 97s version of "El Paso" playing on a continuous loop on his iPod, he wrote the final scene in which the camera pulls away from White one last time. After five seasons of morally reprehensible behavior, the chemistry teacher turned meth dealer -- one of television's least sympathetic antiheroes -- finally would meet his demise.

But as Gilligan typed "End of Series" at the bottom of the page, his hazel eyes grew heavy with tears. "I knew it was the end of an era for me," he says. "The end of the best job I will likely ever have."

***

By the time Gilligan folds himself into a booth at Westwood's Napa Valley Grille on Oct. 2, it has been three days since that pitch-perfect series finale of Breaking Bad first aired -- and seven more since the exceedingly dark show earned its first drama series Emmy. Amid the adulation, Gilligan -- whose face shows no evidence of satisfaction -- must now confront the rare and daunting by-product of extreme success: He has to figure out what to do next.

"I can't seem to let loose and enjoy it. It just sort of washes over me," he says of the fuss being made of him and his AMC series, which, in its final season, transformed from a beloved cult series watched by fewer than 2 million viewers to a zeitgeist phenomenon, with a record 10.3 million tuning in to bid farewell. "I'm just sort of preoccupied by, 'What if this goes wrong?' or 'What if that goes wrong?' It's as though I don't have the enjoyment gene."

It's more than an inability to fully process joy that's plaguing the creator of a show that critics, including THR's own Tim Goodman, claim belongs alongside The Sopranos and The Wire in the pantheon of all-time-great television series. There also is a deeper-rooted fear of not being able to replicate the success he's just had, a concern with which other top creators, from Lost's Damon Lindelof to The West Wing's Aaron Sorkin, can empathize. As he idly nudges ravioli around his plate, he suggests he's all too aware that he'll never be able to fly under the radar again, that every project from this day forward will be compared to Breaking Bad. "It scares me," confesses Gilligan, 46, a Virginia native who, despite some two decades in Los Angeles, has yet to lose his disarming Southern drawl. He pauses for a bite, then continues, "The odds of winning the lottery two weeks in a row are pretty infinitesimal."

Between fulfilling a to-do list that, for the first time in a long while, entails such mundane activities as getting a haircut, tidying up the house from which he walked to get to this lunch and catching up on episodes of History's Modern Marvels and an airing of Columbo, Gilligan intends to give some thought to the question that has been hanging over him for months: What now? While he remains far removed from an answer, the advice he has received repeatedly from friends -- including Lindelof and The Walking Dead's Glen Mazzara as well as his longtime girlfriend, Holly -- is to get going on something immediately. And he's inclined to believe them, having learned a valuable lesson following a lengthy stint on Fox's 1990s cult hit The X-Files. "I thought [at the time], 'I'll be known henceforth as an X-Files writer, and I'll probably be able to get a job anytime I want, so maybe I'll take like a year off.' But people forgot all about me, and I had to rebuild what little brand recognition I had," he says of a costly misstep he'd like to avoid repeating. "I realize now that this is a fast-moving business and there's always something new around the corner. You've got to strike while the iron is hot."

The challenge for Gilligan won't be a lack of options. With a best drama series Emmy situated in his bedroom and the uncommon mix of critical and commercial success, he has become one of the most in-demand writer-directors in Hollywood, courted for high-profile TV pilots (he got the call to direct FX's Tyrant after Oscar winner Ang Lee dropped out) and major feature films (his reps have fielded dozens of movies for him to consider writing or directing, none of which he's likely to do). He's at the center of a feeding frenzy, both among talent agencies looking to lure him away from his longtime home, ICM Partners, and TV studios eager to lock him into an overall deal. "Vince is in a rarefied class," says Jamie Erlicht, programming president at Bad producer Sony TV. "He now has as much marketing strength behind his name as any actor that would be put into the series."

[pagebreak]

Deciding on an encore will not come easy, a point the anxiety-ridden creator is cognizant of every time he turns down a project -- and outside of a Breaking Bad spinoff, which he will help showrunner Peter Gould get off the ground (more on that later), he's found himself saying no with startling frequency. He knows he'll need to agree to do something eventually, if for no other reason than he needs to move on; but what it will be and what will happen if it isn't as beloved as Bad remain the types of questions that could torture him.

Although Gilligan never explicitly says so, it's hard to believe he isn't aware of the industry's lengthy list of one-time hitmakers who serve as cautionary tales about the mercurial nature of creativity, to say nothing of how ephemeral Hollywood heat can be. For every Steven Bochco or David E. Kelley, who were able to churn out pop-culture touchstones with astonishing regularity, there are several more examples such as Marta Kauffman (Friends), Diane English (Murphy Brown) or Gilligan's former boss, Chris Carter (The X-Files), who, despite efforts, have yet to produce a comparable follow-up.

Perhaps it's for that reason that Carter urges Gilligan to block out the comparisons to Bad and simply focus on writing. "You've got to ignore it because it hamstrings you," he says. "You're always second-guessing yourself, and it's a bad way to go into any endeavor." Lost showrunners Lindelof and Carlton Cuse insist he close his ears to the inevitable line of "what's next" questioning, too, while Shawn Ryan, who found himself in a similar situation to that of Gilligan following The Shield's seven-season run on FX, adds that he can't be afraid of failing. "A baseball player hits a home run and doesn't say, 'Well, I'm not going to go out to play again because I might not hit a home run this time.' And a quarterback doesn't throw a touchdown pass and say, 'Well, I'm not going to throw another pass because it's not going to be as good as that,' " he says. "I just don't think you can get paralyzed like that."

***

Anyone who has worked with Gilligan knows that anxiety already is part and parcel of his process. And never was that more pronounced than in the final year of Breaking Bad, when he says he leaned on his writers as much for creative inspiration as he did for therapy.

"They got very good at talking me off the ledge," he says of his Burbank-based writing staff. He regularly would turn to the six of them in a panic, asking often whether it was too late to go back and take another crack at a script because he feared they'd made a terrible mistake and would disappoint viewers if the scene weren't rewritten. "Vince would literally hit his head against the wall. There were times where he'd just go silent and then say, 'We've taken a wrong turn somewhere,' " recalls Gould, a writer/co-executive producer on the series. Adds Sony's other programming chief, Zack Van Amburg: "He's a guy who throws himself into the work like I've never seen, and every year it became an all-consuming endeavor for him, where he would eat, sleep and breathe Breaking Bad."

His writers, having had ample training over the years, perfected ways to get him through what he describes as "a lot of dark nights of the soul." Gennifer Hutchison, who was Gilligan's assistant on The X-Files before segueing to a writer on Bad, would consult a detailed journal she kept so she could prove to him that he'd had similar concerns and everything had worked out. And Gould, with whom Gilligan is co-creating Better Call Saul, the tentatively titled Bad prequel, constantly would trumpet unflagging positivity, uttering affirmations like, "Good things are happening," with frequency. "It buoyed me that someone I trusted in the room believed it even if I didn't," says Gilligan of Gould. "He's very much a glass-half-full guy, and I'm very much a 'the glass is more than half-empty and has a booger floating in it' kind of guy."

Much of that time together in the final year was devoted to the series' conclusion, which at points included alternate endings ranging from Walt killing the cops to Skyler (Anna Gunn) taking her own life. The writers would sit around for hours at a time hashing over their favorite TV finales and film endings, with M*A*S*H and Casablanca among the standouts for Gilligan. It was during those conversations that they came to an important realization about what they were looking to accomplish with their final hour. Says Gilligan, "What we realized is that we wanted to satisfy the viewers more than we wanted to surprise them."

Having had months to tinker with it in that room and in the editing process, Gilligan was able to reach a place where he felt confident -- "for the first time in my career," he jokes -- about the sense of closure he and his writers would be able to provide Bad's loyal audience. So much so that when Jeffrey Katzenberg ran into him at the Polo Lounge the morning after the Emmys and offered him $75 million -- roughly twice the cost of a Bad season -- to make three more episodes to be doled off in short digital segments, he wouldn't even entertain the idea. And by the time he arrived at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery on Sept. 29, where the finale would be screened for about 3,500 fans, he was more concerned with the evening's logistics -- Would the projector work? Would there be enough portable toilets? -- than he was with the public's reception.

Getting a unique opportunity to see the series' fans, including Netflix's Ted Sarandos and billionaire financier Warren Buffett, alternatively gasp and cheer at all of the moments he had hoped would land was, says Gilligan, an "out-of-body experience." But by 11 p.m., as the postshow party for the Bad actors and fans -- several costumed in hazmat suits and other Heisenberg regalia -- still was heating up, he and Holly had slipped out. That night, Gilligan lay awake in bed reminded of a feeling he'd had as a child on Christmas night. "You'd have that sort of post-Christmas letdown because you had been looking forward to it so much," he says, "and I had a little twinge of that when I got home from the cemetery." But he wouldn't have much time to dwell on it since a driver would be back at his Westwood home at 5:30 a.m. to take him to the airport for his last-minute appearances on The Colbert Report and, the day after that, CBS This Morning.

[pagebreak]

Although he'd avoid the scores of reviews of that final episode -- as he had every previous piece of press, with certain clips boxed up in storage for a day years from now, when he figures he'll need the pick-me-up -- he was barraged by congratulatory messages from an impressive list that ranged from director Steven Soderbergh to Tesla entrepreneur Elon Musk. "It all just blows my mind," he says with a sheepish look that implies he's as appreciative as he is uncomfortable with the level of attention he has received.

That it is Gilligan who now is stopped on the street by strangers seeking autographs has him bewildered. "It's wonderful, but at the same time, it's been such a hard thing to process for me. It's like giving a somewhat underpowered computer pi to calculate," he says. AMC president Charlie Collier, who has witnessed Gilligan's transformation from showrunner to celebrity, adds: "What makes Vince so good is that he can actually focus on the task at hand and not get swept up in it. But at the same time, every once in a while, we'd love him to get swept up in it."

***

Gilligan knows he could be setting up himself -- and his fans -- for the disappointment he so ably dodged by making his next project a continuation of his last one.

"There's obviously a danger inherent in doing a spinoff, but I just love the character of Saul Goodman [Bob Odenkirk] so much, and part of me doesn't want to say no to this world," he says of the prequel, acknowledging that he's familiar with the potential pitfalls of a follow-up, having worked on the X-Files spinoff, The Lone Gunmen, which was met with critical derision and a quick ax after 13 episodes back in 2001.

Better Call Saul initially was conceived as a half-hour sitcom until Gilligan and Gould, who created the character during season two, realized they weren't comfortable with a certain number of jokes-per-page format. "We're both one-hour drama guys," he says, but more to the point, they realized that so much of what they enjoyed about Breaking Bad was the show's visual elements. "So we figured, 'Why not shoot Saul in the same way?' Let's shoot it in Albuquerque, let's get as much of the crew back together as possible, and let's do it the way we did it before so that it will be of a piece with that pre-existing fictional universe that we had so much fun creating."

While they're still working through plot, they anticipate the series being set in an office with a much lighter tone than that of its predecessor. If Bad was 75 percent dramatic and 25 percent comedic, Saul will be the opposite. The challenge has been finding the dramatic tension in their lead character. Unlike Walter White, who was damaged and needy, Saul has been portrayed as happy-go-lucky until now. Says Gilligan, "We've had to find the ongoing itch that Saul needs to scratch, so to speak, or else we wouldn't have much of a show." The pair made a formal pitch this summer to AMC, which haggled with Sony over money for longer than expected before ultimately deciding to move forward at the eleventh hour. Others, led by Netflix, WGN America and FX, were ready to pounce had the flagship's network passed.

Both Cranston and Aaron Paul, in addition to some of Bad's other actors, have expressed interest in making appearances, which Gilligan intends to make happen. "Personally, I'd have a hard time resisting putting all these guys in for a cameo or two every now and then," he says, smiling at the very thought. He and Gould would like to lure at least a few of the other writers, too, with Bad writer's assistant Gordon Smith already on board. (They'll need to begin staffing up soon as the tentative plan is to have Saul on the air sometime between August and October.) Gilligan says he envisions being in the writers room full-time, at least for the first season, and already is slated to direct the pilot. Once Saul has found its footing, he'll turn his focus to other projects -- assuming he is able to detach.

To this point, Gilligan has not dabbled in the J.J. Abrams school of hands-off producing. "I'm a big control freak," he confesses, suggesting that finding a way to relinquish some control on certain projects will be an important part of his post-Bad chapter. (Bad was the antithesis of that, with Gilligan acknowledging he had "a hand in every decision I could humanly make.") In an e-mail to Abrams, Gilligan, who has never met Abrams in person, told the prolific producer that he wishes he were more like him in his ability to have so many plates spinning at once. "I look at what J.J.'s built and say, 'I would like to do that,' " says Gilligan of Abrams' Bad Robot empire, still unsure if there's a place where he can be effective between fully enmeshed and entirely out of the picture.

The first test will come with his police drama, Battle Creek. He wrote and developed the hour-long entry a decade ago for CBS, which passed at that time. Now, in what is a testament to Gilligan's clout, the network has made a rare 13-episode straight-to-series commitment, and House creator David Shore has been brought aboard to write, produce and run. Gilligan says it'll very quickly become known as Shore's show -- "and rightly so," he adds -- admitting he has little desire to return to a broadcast schedule. "Twenty-four episodes would kill me," he says, acknowledging that he isn't even sure he'll be able to go back to cable's 13-episode schedule after doing Bad's more recent installments of eight. (Those close to Gilligan suggest his next TV creation likely will land at an HBO or a Netflix given his experience and desire to push the boundaries; Bad was able to get away with language and violence five years ago that AMC, now a higher-profile, advertiser-friendly programmer, would not allow of a new series today.)

Gilligan would like to add a few films next, with an eye toward a Western ("I just love them," he says, before noting that he's drawn more to characters than he is to genres). His reps have been deluged with projects for him to consider, but the only thing he seems certain of at this stage is that he'd prefer to write his directorial debut. He's been busy reading upcoming books on topics ranging from historical fiction to science fiction as potential source material, but he has yet to find himself struck by anything. Adding to the uncertainty, he hasn't decided where -- or even if -- he'll sign a new overall deal. Sony is the leading candidate, but Warner Bros. is said to be offering Gilligan an eight-figure pact, while the idea of doing something more entrepreneurial where he could have more ownership isn't off the table. All that his longtime agent, ICM Partners' Mark Gordon -- who, with president Chris Silbermann, was key in getting Bad to AMC -- will say is: "The bar [has been set] very high, and we're being extremely methodical. ... Meanwhile, we're all excited for the phone call that some neuron in the dark recesses of his brilliant mind has fired, and there's a crazy character that woke him up at 3 a.m. and he just can't shake it."

As Gilligan waits for that character to jolt him awake, he tries to keep focused on the advice that he knows he should heed: "I don't need to compare the next project to the last project, even if others do. Let 'em. Just move forward and make it as good as you can." He can't help but be reminded of a 30- to 40-foot cliff in the middle of the James River, not far from where he grew up in Virginia. "You could climb up and jump off into the river. But if you stood up there too long, rest assured, you weren't jumping," he says, his lips settling into a smile. "You just couldn't stop to think about it once you were up there. You just had to jump."
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: ono on October 16, 2013, 05:28:35 PM
...that said nothing at all about Saul.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: ©brad on October 16, 2013, 06:06:51 PM
I guess I'm one of the few Breaking Bad fanatics who doesn't think this is a great idea.

Prove me wrong Peter Gould!
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: MacGuffin on October 16, 2013, 08:24:36 PM
Quote from: ono on October 16, 2013, 05:28:35 PM
...that said nothing at all about Saul.

Sorry. The other pages didn't paste over. Fixed.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: ono on October 16, 2013, 09:08:14 PM
Cool, thankya.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: ono on June 05, 2014, 05:43:33 PM
1st photo from set
(https://i.imgur.com/3ehFdcj.jpg)
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Reel on June 05, 2014, 06:08:08 PM
Quote from: ono on June 05, 2014, 05:43:33 PM
1st photo from set
(https://i.imgur.com/3ehFdcj.jpg)



Barely anyone cared about BB until season 4 and this ones picking up buzz from the first onset photo? Christ Almighty, that's a lotta pressure
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Sleepless on June 06, 2014, 09:39:52 AM
Was inevitable. The thing I'm most surprised about is how they're making things more difficult for themselves by not setting expectations. Is this going to be tonally similar to Breaking Bad or is is going to be a bite lighter and more comedic? Seems to me that it could naturally lean towards the latter, especially since it's a prequel so there are limitations to what's at stake. If that is the case, then all the more reason for them to dictate the anticipation of audiences who are expecting more of the same.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: ©brad on June 06, 2014, 12:20:59 PM
Huh? Why should they have to dictate anything or set any expectation at this point? I think it's better to keep people in the dark and let the first promo/episode be more of a surprise.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Sleepless on June 06, 2014, 01:40:38 PM
True. I'm getting ahead of myself.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on June 19, 2014, 05:13:19 PM
AMC renewed the show for a second season. Better be good. (And the premiere is moved to early 2015.)
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Brando on June 20, 2014, 11:07:34 AM
Quote from: Drenk on June 19, 2014, 05:13:19 PM
AMC renewed the show for a second season. Better be good. (And the premiere is moved to early 2015.)

If it was any other network, I would take the second season renewal as a good sign on the quality of the series. It's AMC. They have a history of screwing with every major show on their network.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on June 20, 2014, 12:00:22 PM
Quote from: Brando on June 20, 2014, 11:07:34 AM
Quote from: Drenk on June 19, 2014, 05:13:19 PM
AMC renewed the show for a second season. Better be good. (And the premiere is moved to early 2015.)

If it was any other network, I would take the second season renewal as a good sign on the quality of the series. It's AMC. They have a history of screwing with every major show on their network.

Yes. Like I read on the AV Club:

QuoteOn most networks, this would be read as a serious sign of confidence in a program yet to debut, and everything about the show—from its star (Bob Odenkirk) to its producers (Peter Gould and Vince Gilligan)—would be seen as a reason to start getting seriously psyched about the show's upcoming debut. And, yeah, we're going to continue being cautiously optimistic.

But here's the thing: The network doing this is AMC. You know the one. It's entirely possible the hidden subtext of this move is "Jesus. Mad Men is ending!" Then all of the executives ran around their offices in a blind panic, screaming and shouting, until one of them happened to notice a screener of the first Better Call Saul laying on a table. "WHAT IS THAT?!" that unnamed executive said, before another chimed in with, "I DON'T REMEMBER ORDERING IT, BUT LET'S GIVE IT 13 MORE EPISODES!" And thus was a second season born!

Probably it's just good, though. Probably.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on July 01, 2014, 02:40:07 PM
Better Call Saul will exist outside of death and linear time

http://www.avclub.com/article/better-call-saul-will-exist-outside-death-and-line-206421

While most of the attention of the last 24 hours has been focused on Community, let us not forget we're also getting more of another Sony show that ended before the Internet was ready. Better Call Saul is set to debut the first of its two promised seasons next year, and we already know that it will feature appearances from Breaking Bad characters we thought we lost, before we learned that nothing stays dead anymore, ever since we moved all our TVs over this Indian burial ground. And according to a new interview with executive producer Peter Gould, those possibilities are endless, seeing as Better Call Saul exists outside of time, like all immortal beings.

"One of the great things about having a timeline which is flexible is that perhaps some of it takes place before Breaking Bad, during Breaking Bad and after Breaking Bad," Gould said of the show's philosophy of eternalism, in which scenes will alternate back and forth over several decades, rather than just taking place in the 1980s as initially suspected. In Saul's world, all of the events before, after, and even during Breaking Bad are happening simultaneously, all of their awful consequences looping endlessly across the infinite. And like God himself standing outside the block universe, this means no one is truly dead to Peter Gould—not even Walter White, who he believes will return in some capacity, simply because he wills it.

Still, having watched Breaking Bad, even Gould knows that such absolute power can have terrible consequences, so he doesn't plan to abuse it by having Saul to lean too heavily on its predecessor. "We want to make a show that stands on it own, is its own story and is a brand extension," Gould said, before disappearing into the fourth dimension.

In light of Gould's remarks, Aaron Paul's apparent indecision as to whether he will or won't be returning can actually be seen as an expression of the uncertainty inherent in measuring exactly where Better Call Saul will be along its fluid Breaking Bad space-time continuum. Let's call this the "Heisenberg uncertainty principle," which we just came up with.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: ono on July 17, 2014, 02:02:13 PM
http://blogs.amctv.com/better-call-saul/2014/07/amc-releases-line-up-of-series-regulars-and-new-photos-for-better-call-saul/

and

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/better-call-saul-everything-we-know-about-the-breaking-bad-spinoff-so-far-9609437.html
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: jonas on July 23, 2014, 01:27:35 PM
First Saul billboard is up in Albuquerque!! The phone number brings up a message from "James McGill" (AKA Odenkirk with an Irish accent)

More info: http://www.avclub.com/article/better-call-saul-billboard-working-phone-number-po-207261
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: ono on August 25, 2014, 02:00:39 PM
Better Call Saul teaser (http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2014/aug/11/breaking-bad-spinoff-better-call-saul-first-teaser-trailer-air-date)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpV-fRh5hcQ&list=UUmWyesNAlftV3kJlFhD6q6w
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: ©brad on August 25, 2014, 10:28:59 PM
I'll watch anything penned by Vince and company but I'm still having a lot of trouble mustering any real excitement for - actually you know what, forget I said anything. I'm sure this show will become to next best thing ever and I'll be eating my words like I do. Forget this post happened.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: ono on October 02, 2014, 10:10:51 PM
Possible spoilers: https://twitter.com/marytobler/status/517760686609690624
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: MacGuffin on October 05, 2014, 10:44:57 PM
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: jonas on November 20, 2014, 04:37:58 PM


Airing the first 2 episodes on back-to-back nights!  :bravo:

Press Release:

AMC ANNOUNCES TWO-NIGHT PREMIERE TELEVISION EVENT TO LAUNCH NEW DRAMA SERIES "BETTER CALL SAUL"

Series to Debut Sunday, February 8 at 10:00 PM ET/PT

With Second Episode to Air Monday, February 9 at 10:00 PM ET/PT

Created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould,

Executive Produced by Gran Via's Mark Johnson and Melissa Bernstein and

Produced by Sony Pictures Television

New York – November 20, 2014 – AMC announced today a two-night television event for the premiere of its next new drama series "Better Call Saul." The prequel to the award-winning series "Breaking Bad," "Saul" will debut on Sunday, February 8 at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT with its second episode airing the next day, Monday, February 9 at 10:00 p.m. The series will then continue to air Mondays at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on AMC. From "Breaking Bad" creator Vince Gilligan and "Breaking Bad" writer Peter Gould, "Better Call Saul" focuses on the evolution of the popular "Breaking Bad" character Saul Goodman, portrayed by Bob Odenkirk, before he ever became Walter White's lawyer. The series is executive produced by Gilligan, Gould, Mark Johnson ("Breaking Bad," Diner, Rain Man) and Melissa Bernstein ("Breaking Bad," "Rectify," "Halt and Catch Fire") with "Breaking Bad" alums Thomas Schnauz and Stewart A. Lyons as co-executive producers for Sony Pictures Television.

"This February, during AMC's first ever two-night series premiere event, we're going to introduce Jimmy McGill to the world. Known to 'Breaking Bad' fans as Saul Goodman, viewers will soon discover Saul wasn't always Albuquerque's top criminal (criminal) lawyer," said AMC President Charlie Collier. "Huge thanks to Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Bob Odenkirk, our partners at Sony, and the entire team. We're thrilled to be cooking together again."

Joining Odenkirk are series regulars Jonathan Banks ("Breaking Bad," Wiseguy) as Mike Erhmantraut, Michael McKean (This is Spinal Tap) as Chuck McGill, Rhea Seehorn ("Franklin & Bash," "House of Lies") as Kim Wexler, Patrick Fabian ("Big Love," "Grey's Anatomy") as Howard Hamlin and Michael Mando ("Orphan Black," "The Killing") as Nacho Varga – characters that will represent both legitimate and illegitimate sides of the law.

"Better Call Saul" is set six years before Saul Goodman meets Walter White. When we meet him, the man who will become Saul Goodman is known as Jimmy McGill, a small-time lawyer searching for his destiny and hustling to make ends meet. Working alongside and often against Jimmy is "fixer" Mike Erhmantraut, a beloved character first introduced in "Breaking Bad." The series will track Jimmy's transformation into a man who puts the criminal in "criminal lawyer."

As previously announced, season one of "Better Call Saul" will consist of 10 episodes; the series has already been greenlit for a second season of 13 episodes.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: ono on December 01, 2014, 04:55:30 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ds4FZmVG908
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: ono on December 22, 2014, 08:43:24 PM
30 second teaser (http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid83327935001?bckey=AQ~~,AAAAAAuyCbQ~,-gfAmfm8njJ8S-9E4q2UfzG931rvkxuP&bctid=3956929523001) - You Will Atone!  (Hi, Network.)
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: 03 on December 22, 2014, 10:33:47 PM
am i the only one that loves the fact that this looks exactly like brba
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: ono on December 22, 2014, 10:57:25 PM
No.  No you are not.  First thing I noticed about that teaser.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: ono on December 23, 2014, 08:09:14 PM
Another:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1t4HCSDeEA
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: 03 on December 23, 2014, 10:57:21 PM
LOLOL did he just call that woman 'sausage'?!?
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: ono on January 09, 2015, 08:25:20 PM
Bob Odenkirk tells us what to expect in Better Call Saul (http://www.channelguidemagblog.com/index.php/2015/01/09/bob-odenkirk-saul-goodman-better-call-saul/)
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: ono on January 10, 2015, 02:46:05 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1xIGfVFb-U
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: ono on January 26, 2015, 09:19:18 AM
http://www.amctv.com/better-call-saul/videos/trailer-danger-zone-better-call-saul-series-premiere

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/241572/first-look-at-better-call-saul-its-bad-to-th.html
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: 03 on February 09, 2015, 02:21:09 AM
gorgeously shot. geniusly written. fresh and original while still being reminiscent. this is gilligan at his most artistic and it works PERFECTLY.
odenkirk was fucking shakespearean.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Lottery on February 09, 2015, 03:11:04 AM
Fantastic. 03 pretty much covers it.


Also, best intro in the entire world.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: 03 on February 09, 2015, 10:19:12 PM
episode two didn't disappoint in the least.
most exciting show on tv.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: 03 on February 10, 2015, 08:44:48 PM
spoilers
episode one:




. the intro of course is perfect. visually, it's both beautiful and upsetting. the initial shots of the cinnamon before we realize what it is just drop you in and kind of fire your synapses for a second to prepare you for the next frames.

. the first courtroom scene we see defines the character perfectly. we see him rehearsing in the bathroom while everyone patiently waits. they're waiting for him but there doesn't seem to be any ill feelings. the scene feels like normally it would be the amateur lawyer coming to prove himself and being judged by everyone. but it's like they just accept him and let him do what he does because that's just what happens. the build up is so perfect because we have no idea what he's talking about, so the tape reveal is just comically jarring.

. we now see why saul was so adamant about the nail salon.

. we discussed in the whiplash thread how often the car crash from adaptation was used, and this is probaly my favorite instance. i literally did not expect it.

. didn't know that was his brother at first which led to some confusion, rewatch made the scenes with chuck very lovely. the lanterns? crazy beautiful man.

. the tuco reveal was pretty startling

anyway, its amazing and genius. thats all.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: N on February 11, 2015, 07:04:50 AM
Yup. You pretty much nailed it 03. First two episodes are a strong opening, Gilligan made the most exciting show on television again. Can't wait to see the rest of it.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on February 11, 2015, 12:27:26 PM
Spoilers for ep 1 & 2

The premier episode was like Quirky Delights: The Television Show. I loved it.

In particular, I'm relieved that this won't be another Lone Gunmen. It so clearly and credibly takes place in the same universe as Breaking Bad. And they've nailed the tone perfectly. Seems to have just the right weight and darkness to it. It's not goofy, and there's not much humor at Saul's expense, which is working well.

Not sure Michael McKean is the best casting choice. I don't buy him as Saul's brother; apparently he's 17 years older than Odenkirk, and it is apparent. I first thought he was Saul's dad or step-dad, then I was thinking uncle. There's something about him besides his age that's not working for me yet, but I'll keep an open mind. I can see him doing interesting things with more dramatic material, which may be coming.

Highlights for me:

- The epic intro, obviously (although cold weather is really not that bad, guys)
- Saul's first case with the three boys. Possibly the best scene in both episodes.
- Tuco reveal
- Everything with the skaters
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Kal on February 15, 2015, 09:53:56 AM
SPOILERS AHEAD

I actually have mixed feelings about the show so far for a couple of reasons. I did love seeing the characters again, everything about the show feels like an episode of Breaking Bad which is beautiful.

What I'm not sure about is the overall story, where it goes, and the stakes involved. We sort of knew it going in as we already know Saul in the future, but the amazing thing about Breaking Bad from the pilot episode on was that there were so many challenges that seemed impossible for Walt. He had cancer. He knew he was going to die. He had a mission before he died. He goes into the meth business without knowing anything about it. He needs to figure out how to make a profit from it. A super honest and decent chemistry teacher becoming a criminal. All that stuff is established from day one and it's what keeps the show so unpredictable and fun as it introduces new characters and ridiculous situations for Walt.

So I still can't see in the first two episodes how that works for Saul. Seeing Tuco was awesome, but it also made me worry about having a bunch of familiar faces show up randomly in each episode and forcing the story too much to fit these characters in it.

I guess we'll see. There is nothing else good on TV right now besides Walking Dead so I'm still excited to watch and hopefully its as amazing as we expected.

Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on February 15, 2015, 10:09:45 AM
There is The Americans on TV right now and it's great.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: 03 on February 15, 2015, 02:15:06 PM
Quote from: kalWhat I'm not sure about is the overall story, where it goes, and the stakes involved. We sort of knew it going in as we already know Saul in the future, but the amazing thing about Breaking Bad from the pilot episode on was that there were so many challenges that seemed impossible for Walt. He had cancer. He knew he was going to die. He had a mission before he died. He goes into the meth business without knowing anything about it. He needs to figure out how to make a profit from it. A super honest and decent chemistry teacher becoming a criminal. All that stuff is established from day one and it's what keeps the show so unpredictable and fun as it introduces new characters and ridiculous situations for Walt.

i see what you're saying, but i got a completely different impression from the first episodes.
i really think that this show is 'breaking saul'.
we already know how he ends up, and this will show how he gets there and what he has to go through and how he has to change. examples of his starting point:

. how moral and ethical he is in the first two.
. him trying to save the skaters lives.
. him scraping by financially
. him scraping by with piddly pd clients
. him having a shitty office and generally not being respected
. not to be on the nose, but he literally has a different name/is a different person
. him being mentally tormented by physical violence
. him ripping up a check and refusing to be involved with a burglary (think of how quick he is to make a buck in brba)

in brba, we seem him as more or less a seasoned legal tycoon that can get anyone off that has a multitude of connections with morals and ethics that bend to his benefit.
so to answer your post, i think that's the story. how he gets there.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: diggler on February 15, 2015, 02:34:57 PM
I don't mind the fact that it's a prequel because I don't think a show's stakes have to be "will he or won't he die?" Take the scene in the desert for instance, you knew he wasn't going to die but that scene is more about what he can do for the twins. You learn a lot about his morals in that scene, due to the fact that the show does so much to make you not care about the twins. By showing his current state in present day I think the show is declaring that there is more to his story left to tell. What happens in Better Caul Saul will do a lot to inform how that plays out.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: 03 on February 15, 2015, 02:59:10 PM
^ more precise version of what i said.yessss
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Kal on February 15, 2015, 03:09:15 PM
Agree with all that. Although the scam with the skaters and his overall attitude in court (with the dudes that were decapitating and raping a dead guy) already shows that his ethics and morals are borderline. My point is not just that the stakes are lower because we know he won't die (we knew Walt wouldn't die also), but that the transformation won't be as incredible and extreme as with Walt.

He is kind of Lionel Hutz from the Simpsons now and then will become what we know from BB. The connection with Tuco is definitely a good start for that.

Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: diggler on February 15, 2015, 04:14:44 PM
Very true, no way they were going to kill off Walt, just like there was no way they were going to kill Saul in the second episode of a show called "Better Call Saul." You don't need to know it's a prequel to figure that much out. I think he gets a pass on the defense of the three kids and the beheading because he was defending them as a public defender, not for the cash. Everyone gets a lawyer, so some poor schmuck would've had to make that defense. Although I think it shows a chink in his armor that he was trying to scam the court a bit by expecting to be paid for the defendants separately.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: 03 on February 15, 2015, 04:27:35 PM
QuoteAlthough I think it shows a chink in his armor that he was trying to scam the court a bit by expecting to be paid for the defendants separately.

whaaat. no, i disagree with that totally. i think he was genuinely confused as to why he was getting paid that way. it wasn't a scam. i think it was to show how green he is.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: 03 on February 19, 2015, 09:07:24 PM
i'm trying to hold back and not be the only one gushing about this show.
does anyone want to take ep3 before i demolish it verbally?
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: ono on February 19, 2015, 10:06:51 PM
I'm with you on the gushing.  Episode 1 was a great setup.  2 was a knock-em-down wholly reminiscent of Breaking Bad in all the best ways (sure didn't hurt that Tuco was there).  I've already watched the first two episodes multiple times, just reveling in the world that they've created.  So glad to be back in it.  Off to watch episode 3 (a tad late, sure, but better that than never).

Every element of this is firing on all cylinders.  Shows how good Gilligan and co are (and how long it's taken him to get here, him being around the block for 20 years or so to find his voice).  It makes me question other shows *cough*True Detective*cough*.  Is Gilligan head honcho?  It feels like it.  I thought it was Peter Gould.  Kudos to: the casting of the skater brothers.  The cinematography through and through -- vintage BB -- haven't researched it, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were talent familiar to that show.  Same with art design.  The score during the skating scene.  The callbacks to the nail salon.  The opening montage in B&W.  The choice of music therein.  The humor, and that salsa stain on abuelita's rug.  The best lawyer ever talking his way out of his most important case.  An origin story, and a legend is born.  Shady dealings in the back of the salon.  His first deal with the devil.

EDIT: Something, something, heeeeere's a classic movie reference.  Here's hoping they keep it up and part of Saul's schtick is he's always referencing old movies in inappropriate ways.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Kal on February 23, 2015, 11:33:47 PM
SPOILER EP4

This reminded me of LOST with the flashback repeating itself in the episode and giving context to the prank. Another interesting example of his strange conflict between trying to be ultra decent and not.

Great episode. It's getting better. I wish we saw more of Mike already.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: 03 on February 24, 2015, 11:50:32 PM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_hypersensitivity
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nocebo
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: polkablues on February 25, 2015, 12:48:21 AM
Quote from: 03 on February 24, 2015, 11:50:32 PM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_hypersensitivity
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nocebo

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114323/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: 03 on February 25, 2015, 12:54:37 AM
yeah if you wanna be all obvious about it
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: 03 on March 09, 2015, 07:42:42 PM
there was a fantastic interview with peter gould and jonathan banks on fresh air a few minutes ago.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: 03 on March 10, 2015, 08:47:24 AM
Oh.my.god.
Maybe one of the best episodes of television, period.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: jonas on March 10, 2015, 09:40:26 AM
Yes, just a fantastic episode all around. High marks in everything from acting, to lighting to pacing.

Even the minimal scenes with Saul/Jimmy were great, with the whole coffee spill "routine" done in one long shot. Plus he got in a couple of verbal gems: "No, I look like a young Paul Newman dressed as Matlock." and "Don't let Mr. Ehrmantraut's dancing eyes and bubbly bon vivant personality fool you: He's actually, believe it or not, somewhat taciturn."

Fans of BB have been waiting for this story and they really nailed it. Can't wait to see what Saul/Jimmy does to help Mike get rid of his visitors.

:bravo: :bravo: :bravo:
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: polkablues on March 10, 2015, 04:57:39 PM
I'm blown away by how an actor of Jonathan Banks' caliber flew under the radar for so long without the world realizing how incredible he is.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: ono on March 10, 2015, 07:36:50 PM
"I abandoned broke my boy."

"You know what happened.  The question is, can you live with it?"

Chills.

Oh, and it's been a long time, but I sort of got an L.A. Confidential vibe from the episode, too.  Don't remember how accurate that is, though.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on March 11, 2015, 02:02:49 PM
Yeah, great episode. I'm impressed that they just went for it, full Breaking Bad style. They're establishing quite early that the show can have a multitude of tones. Which opens up a lot dark possibilities.

Some of the dialogue writing was quite weird, like it was going for realism but overshot. This was most apparent in Stacy's dialogue, which honestly might have been more convincing if she had an accent. Also, there was a particularly Yoda-esque backwards sentence uttered by the bartender.

I'm nitpicking, though. The power of Jonathan Banks kind of melted everything else away.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: 03 on March 11, 2015, 03:34:15 PM
You are definitely nitpicking but I totally understand what youmean and I agree.

Best stuff:
. final monologue. Like ono said, chills
. janitor!
. every interrogation scene. Flawless
. how'd you know I'd do it?
.banks acting as an as actor acting (sounded like Jenkins there)
. and as aforementioned, the tear welling ''I broke my boy, I made him lesser, and the bastards killed him anyway"
. mike unloading the gun he had on him
Absolute fucking brilliance
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: N on March 24, 2015, 01:13:55 AM
Mmm loving this show and all the things going on in it. Everything about this latest episode was just great. Now another week of waiting.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: jonas on March 31, 2015, 02:14:36 PM
"I know it was you, Fredo Chuck. You broke my heart."

Another great episode, so happy with this series.

The Jimmy/Chuck scenes are all making a lot more sense now. Not sure how the final episode will play out, are we going to see the first of "Saul"? What part will Kim play in his transformation?

I also feel like I have a bit of respect for Hamlin, knowing now that he was taking the heat for Chuck. Confused feels  :doh:

Oh, and Mike is a bad ass (nothing new).
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on March 31, 2015, 06:03:33 PM
That's some great storytelling and character development. That last scene broke my heart.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Garam on April 03, 2015, 10:32:36 AM
This show is just ok.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: diggler on April 07, 2015, 12:17:21 PM
That Bingo monologue was amazing.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Fernando on April 08, 2015, 11:47:00 AM
SPOILS SEASON 1 FINALE.

that ending makes Jimmy's story really similar to Walter White's, both had a way out of being a crook, like Walt with grey matter, Jimmy had that offer by some big law firm, instead he chose a different road.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on April 08, 2015, 02:30:14 PM
SPOILERS

Yeah, but it was Walter's ego. Walter was lying to himself. Jimmy isn't. Jimmy's story is more heartbreaking than Walter's -- in the first season, I speak -- because Jimmy really tried to do good. He tried. He could. The world didn't care.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: polkablues on April 08, 2015, 05:42:14 PM
Quote from: Drenk on April 08, 2015, 02:30:14 PM
SPOILERS

Yeah, but it was Walter's ego. Walter was lying to himself. Jimmy isn't. Jimmy's story is more heartbreaking than Walter's -- in the first season, I speak -- because Jimmy really tried to do good. He tried. He could. The world didn't care.

But the fact that he has the chance at signing on with the big law firm at the end but bails on it is very telling. I agree it's not necessarily ego with Jimmy in the same way it was with Walt. Walt believed he was better than everyone, Jimmy simply believes he's better than the box the world keeps trying to force him into. The biggest similarity is that in both cases, the characters viewed their decisions as choosing a form of freedom (independence, self-reliance) over a form of imprisonment (surrendering their personal agency to another). And of course, both decisions will ultimately cost them dearly.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Kal on April 10, 2015, 01:55:34 AM
He's always been Slippin' Jimmy. He tried to do good and please Chuck and get his approval, but even as he tried to do good he was constantly conning people for a good reason. From the skateboarders to the whole storyline with the crazy couple and the stunt with the billboard. His strategy is always unorthodox even if he has good intentions.

And finally here he has a chance to really be taken seriously and shut Chuck up once and for all, and he bails. It's exactly why Chuck didn't want him there in the first place. So its not super surprising.

With Walt is different because he had shown no signs ever in his life of doing anything immoral or illegal. He was always doing things by the book. His change is much more dramatic.

The finale was good. Not incredible but set things up nicely for what's coming next.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: 03 on May 13, 2015, 10:55:21 AM
just finished listening to the entire better call saul insider podcast. pretty great stuff.

can we just take a moment to acknowledge that 'five-o' might be the best episode of tv ever?
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on May 13, 2015, 11:06:39 AM
It's not, though.

The story is effective. Simple and effective. The actor is great. It's good to finally see his past. It's all good. And yet, it's probably one of my less favorite episode of the season.

The scene where Saul discovers that Chuck is the one bringing him down is a great moment of television for me.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on June 29, 2015, 03:37:04 PM
Fantastic and entertaining live on-stage interview from the Nerdist Writers Panel, featuring the writers (minus Gilligan) plus Michael McKean. Highly recommended even if you're just a mild fan of Better Call Saul.

http://nerdist.com/nerdist-writers-panel-190-better-call-saul/

Episode #190 of the Nerdist Writers Panel podcast (which you should be subscribed to already).
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on June 29, 2015, 03:45:55 PM
That podcast BTW is where I gained this insight circa 2013:

Quote from: Jeremy Blackman on March 25, 2013, 04:03:42 PMSince we're comparing the Breaking Bad and Walking Dead writing staffs... I've heard Nerdist Writers Panels (http://www.nerdist.com/podcast/nerdist-writers-panel/) with both of them. The difference is crystal clear. The Walking Dead writing staff is combative by design. People pitch ideas and are supposed to defend them under fire. This is apparently a thing. Vince Gilligan has several times expressed his dislike for this model, and he wanted to have a deeply collaborative and amiable writing staff. Whenever you hear the Breaking Bad writers talking to each other, there's so much warmth and respect and excitement about what they're creating together. Then you listen to the Walking Dead staff, and there's this tension and resentment just under the surface of their jokey-combative relationship.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: ono on January 07, 2016, 11:57:47 PM
It begins!  February 15th.

http://time.com/4171714/better-call-saul-season-2-clip/
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on February 06, 2016, 10:46:42 PM
Season 1 is now on Netflix.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: jonas on February 23, 2016, 03:53:32 PM
The first 2 episodes of S2 have been great. Love the time this show is taking to tell it's story as we're all aware of what eventually happens to Saul.

Episode 2 probably had the funniest scene in BCS thus far:

"You don't know what a squat cobbler is? What? And you two guys are cops? Hoboken squat cobbler. Full moon moon-pie. Boston creme splat. Seriously? Simple Simon the Ass Man? Dutch Apple Ass? Guys, am I not speaking English here?" - Jimmy

Also, the scenes between Mike and Nacho in EP 2 is so great. Small nuances of these guys sizing each other up while you can see Nacho has some (begrudging) respect for the way Mike does business.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on February 23, 2016, 10:40:55 PM
This is unlike anything else on TV. That's not necessarily an unqualified strength, though. The thing is, I can feel the writer's hand so clearly that I'm rarely fully immersed. The show could be too smart for its own good.

Which is not to say it doesn't still deliver a lot of emotion. Everything with Kim is the definition of bittersweet, and there's this ever-present sense of doom. Chuck is that rare kind of complex villain who you can't dismiss, because he's partially right.

There's so much going on in this show. Whatever it becomes, it will remain endlessly enjoyable to analyze. Check out this video from the AV Club to see what I mean:

http://www.avclub.com/video/when-better-call-saul-offers-clues-no-sense-where--232665
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: AntiDumbFrogQuestion on March 05, 2016, 12:36:51 AM
Quote from: Jeremy Blackman on February 23, 2016, 10:40:55 PM
The thing is, I can feel the writer's hand so clearly that I'm rarely fully immersed.

Huh. That's quite the opposite for me. In fact I was watching the latest episode thinking "As much as I know about Vince Gilligan and Breaking Bad, this show just seems like it has a life unto itself."
I don't begrudge you feeling that way, though. I can totally feel PT Anderson's pen on the page watching "Magnolia" and his eye behind the camera on "Inherent Vice" yet it's absent in "Boogie Nights" and "The Master" for me. I know people who feel the EXACT opposite.
In any case, it's hard to believe this show was originally going to be a half hour. I couldn't imagine it as anything less than the well-crafted hour it has become.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on March 05, 2016, 01:22:49 AM
I mean, I still love the show. It's immensely fun and always true to itself. It's just that the phenomenon I described keeps this from being one of my favorite things. I'm grappling with it.

Breaking Bad had this issue for me, too, just a bit — this lack of mystery. The way you watch a scene and know its exact purpose.

Better Call Saul having less urgency and lower stakes than BB exacerbates that, I think. It forces you to be in the moment and live in every scene. Which is great, but then you can really feel how everything is so calculated. There's very little ambiguity. There's no chaos. It really does feel like a written world.

There are some exceptions. The unfolding of Chuck's character was the highlight of Season 1 for me — it was almost a Lynchian identity twist. And they did something similar with Howard. Those were both completely amazing. So why do I feel like that won't happen again?
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on March 08, 2016, 10:51:19 PM
SPOILERS

There was a lot to love about this episode. Mike's performance for Tuco was a delight from beginning to end. Jimmy's meeting with the bosses revealed, in a very smart way, exactly how out of place he is.

But that scene with Chuck just did not work for me. It flopped. For such a smart show, they certainly don't always trust us to figure things out. The writers fell back on some of their worst habits — making subtext into text so thoroughly. Confirming with actual words, in cringe-inducing detail, the conclusions about this relationship that viewers had already reached, and simply telling us through the characters' mouths what was already apparent in the scene. This would happen occasionally in Breaking Bad, but let's be honest, it's happening more often in Better Call Saul.

I think it also did some damage to my memory of Chuck and Jimmy's epic confrontation near the end of last season. Why let them get all their feelings out like this? Why diffuse that tension now?

I know I'm probably holding the show to an absurdly high standard, but it's their own fault for being so good in the first place.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: N on March 15, 2016, 02:35:02 AM
I can't make up my mind on Chuck. I was very anti-Chuck at the end of S1, but now I'm starting to feel like his actions were justified. Love this show.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on March 15, 2016, 11:05:37 PM
Yeah. Better Call Saul is turning out to be even more morally complex than Breaking Bad.

This episode was kind of a master class in pulling that off, wasn't it? I think I sympathized with every single character, from beginning to end. Even the second-year associate, when she saw Jimmy attempting a bribe. Even Chuck, when he said that Jimmy isn't a bad guy, he just can't help himself. Even Mike's daughter in law, who seems genuinely humble and grateful now (and less manipulative).

Howard may be the hardest person to sympathize with at the moment. But it's clear that Kim hurt him in a very serious way; he's acting out of emotion, not being evil.

The show was just renewed for Season 3, by the way. Apparently the ratings are decent.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: 03 on March 16, 2016, 10:22:48 AM
i agree with everything you said, but do you think the post it montage went on for WAY too long?
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on March 16, 2016, 10:25:03 AM
Quote from: 03 on March 16, 2016, 10:22:48 AM
i agree with everything you said, but do you think the post it montage went on for WAY too long?

I do. It actually bothered me more when the music stopped, and Kim was sitting there, and you absolutely knew the phone was going to ring. It was strangely cliche and drained all suspense from the payoff.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Sleepless on March 17, 2016, 08:48:23 PM
John Shiban directed last week's episode. That's all I'm gonna say.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: jonas on March 22, 2016, 07:25:06 AM
"We were just supposed to scare you, that's all." - Salamanca Thugs

“Try harder next time” - Mike

Next scene: The Cousins(!!) pop out on a rooftop, pointing a finger-gun at Kaylee

I guess Hector listened  :shock:

Was surprised not to see Chuck this week, especially after his conversation with Kim. I think it's very obvious to Chuck that Jimmy and Kim have something going on, Jimmy's plea to try to save her job by him quitting practicing law (as "James McGill") tipped his hand.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on March 22, 2016, 03:26:33 PM
That show is tremendous. I'm just not a big fan of Mike's storyline. Even his episode, last year, didn't do much to me. The rest is so much more interesting and unique...

Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: polkablues on March 22, 2016, 05:28:58 PM
I'm always amazed by how well Gilligan's shows are able to use tiny, seemingly mundane details like a too-small cup holder, or a light switch with a "do not touch" label, and mill such grist out of them to give us insight into a character's interior world. It's just astoundingly good writing.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on March 23, 2016, 12:55:54 AM
What killed me in this one was Howard's smile. The episode was masterfully directed.

I agree about those character-defining details. I think we've had more than enough of the cup holder, though. I'm not sure I needed four installments of that subplot; I got the picture after the first one.

The light switch was leagues better. You had the clever contrast of Jimmy ignoring that sign in the episode, but forced to obey the emergency exit sign in the cold open.

Howard's treatment of Kim is almost enraging at this point. I think it's forcing me to remember that he never really seemed to have a great deal of respect for her. The threat of his disapproval always seemed to be looming.

Also, as a boss, Howard is just the worst. You're not supposed to cultivate drama and resentment. And you should not make your employees believe they're one mistake away from banishment. They'll simply decide not to work in an unfair environment, as Kim is (hopefully) doing.

I wonder if we'll see any further justification for Howard's "approach" to Kim. Because even considering everything we already know, he's being a dumb baby.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on April 06, 2016, 03:57:03 PM
This was the most table-setting of table setting episodes. And a step down from last week. But it was still pretty good.

Howard was actually the highlight for me. The actor just nailed everything about that character. Subtleties within nuances.

I hate to say this, but the Kaylee actress is just really bad. That scene made me physically cringe. I guarantee she's a stage actor by the way she tries to blast you with cuteness — enunciating sharply, projecting loudly, and doing that sing-songy garbage. That may work on the stage, but not in a small kitchen with Jonathan Banks. Replace her now before it's too late. This has been Jeremy Blackman's Child Actor Takedown.™
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on April 06, 2016, 04:49:16 PM
The Kaylee plot—which isn't really a plot about Kaylee (Kaylee is worse than a McGuffin, by the way (protecting the child we don't give a flying fuck about...) )— is what I didn't want that show to do before I watched it, and what I thought that show would be...

I couldn't image Chuck and Kim, though. And that's why Better Call Saul is great. Mike had one episode worth of story and it happened last year. Now, he has nothing.

Once again: it's a shame because everything else is great...


PS: Kaylee is not just a child we don't give a flying fuck about or a Kaylee Guffin. She's also a cyborg because she doesn't grow up between BCS and Breaking Bad. No offense to 8 years old playing with 4 years old in a playground...
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Sleepless on April 07, 2016, 08:47:09 AM
The Kim storyline is clearly going to end in tragedy - I just don't know how yet. Either Jimmy blows it big time and something cataclysmic happens sooner rather than later, or she eventually decides to put up with his shit forever more... Then he randomly disappears from their happy ever after one day thanks to WW.

Agree with the comments on Mike's storyline. There have been occasional moments, but on the whole it feels like they've run it into the ground. I assume they're driving towards him hooking up with Gus now. But then what?
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on April 07, 2016, 10:45:19 AM
This was half-heartedly suggested on the Rotten Tomatoes podcast, but it's actually possible Kim is around in some capacity in Breaking Bad. That show never goes too deep into Saul's personal life. Maybe they're still friends! Maybe he keeps her in the basement. We have no clue.

Tragedy does seem to be the most likely outcome. But does Saul seem like someone who has faced a major tragedy in the last few years? I'm not totally convinced. It would be funny if the Kim relationship simply fizzled out.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: polkablues on April 07, 2016, 11:31:52 AM
During her interview with the rival firm a couple episodes ago, they made a point of her talking about how she's originally from some small town in Nebraska, or near Nebraska, I don't remember exactly. I have a feeling she ultimately goes back to the Midwest after everything falls apart for her and Jimmy, and at some point in the future she's going to be shopping at a certain mall in Omaha and go into a certain Cinnabon franchise.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on April 07, 2016, 11:47:48 AM
Wow. I almost feel like you should spoiler tag that one. This would be amazing.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Sleepless on April 07, 2016, 04:51:21 PM
That's how it ends.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: N on April 12, 2016, 02:49:31 AM
Fucking cliffhanger, what a prelude to the final episode. I'm gonna be itching all week.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Robyn on April 12, 2016, 08:16:05 AM
SPOILERS

yeah, that was good  :bravo:

it would be really interesting if he really died there 

the finale will be amazing
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on April 13, 2016, 12:30:11 AM
SPOILS

It would actually not surprise me if he dies here. Chuck's story seems complete, doesn't it? Kim even delivered a definitive relationship summary at his house. We also got other pieces of Chuck's past this season that helped make sense of their history and the larger picture.

This is my feeling: If something tragic is going to happen to Chuck, how could this not be that moment?

If not death, maybe he becomes a vegetable as a result of this TBI. And his electrosensitivity is cured.

Other things I enjoyed:

- Requiem For A Dream cam
- The way I immediately knew that Kim knew. What a performance. Also, the complexity of her tolerance for Jimmy.
- Mike simultaneously dominating and suffering a moral defeat. Was this his last half measure?

Now all of Kim's work with Mesa Verde (the entirety of her work day) is going to be tainted, in her mind, by Jimmy's corruption. She will always know she never got that account legitimately. And that she did not strike out on her own legitimately. Jimmy robbed her of that. Seems just as bad as working with him directly.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on April 13, 2016, 07:39:40 AM
SPOILERS


I'd be Kim, I wouldn't give a shit about what Jimmy did. She knows Chuck better now. She knows he robbed her —legally, yes, but also against his own health— because of his jealousy...

At this point, Chuck knew that attacking Kim was the best way to affect Jimmy.

He's an asshole.

She's even helping Jimmy at the end of the episode...
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Fernando on April 13, 2016, 12:31:55 PM
amazing episode.

Quote from: Drenk on April 13, 2016, 07:39:40 AM
SPOILERS

At this point, Chuck knew that attacking Kim was the best way to affect Jimmy.

He's an asshole.

She's even helping Jimmy at the end of the episode...

Kim FTW.

If Chuck dies that 'help' will affect her, knowing she played a part in his demise or even if he's incapacitated.

Quote from: Jeremy Blackman on April 13, 2016, 12:30:11 AM
SPOILS

- Mike simultaneously dominating and suffering a moral defeat. Was this his last half measure?

probably? I wonder if he will have something to do with Tío's incapacitation, of course if he does he won't see it coming, as he could use his bell to point at Mike and we know that never happens.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: 03 on April 19, 2016, 10:17:06 AM
whoa. i dont really know how to feel about any of what just happened. this fucking show, dude.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on April 19, 2016, 10:53:57 AM
SPOILS

I'm not sure what to think either...

Superficially, it was a frustrating experience. Because Better Call Saul is an illusion. You have Chuck suffering a serious injury, and you have Mike doing reconnaissance and actually taking aim with a sniper rifle, but this is not that kind of show. Chuck won't die, and Mike won't shoot.

At times it feels like an endless tease. Why else would they show us 10 minutes of Mike preparing for that hit? They are withholding payoffs wherever possible.

It doesn't bother me that much. I just think there might be better storytelling choices than this endless string of cliffhangers.

I can't deny how rich the characters have become, though. Chuck and Jimmy have never been more interesting.

I do like Mike's disorientation when he finds that note. And I can't wait to find out who his special friend is...

SPECULATION SPOILER

It's probably Gus Fring. Apparently the first letters of this season's episode titles anagram to "Fring's Back." Thus the weird spelling of this episode, "Klick."

This would 100% make sense. I can see why Gus might be stalking Hector, too. And obviously it's an essential plot move to set up the eventual Gus/Mike/Saul partnership. What if we actually get to see Mike and Gus putting Hector in a wheelchair?
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on April 19, 2016, 06:35:47 PM
SPOILERS


Wow, Chuck. You used your brother love for you to set him up? Wow.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Fernando on April 21, 2016, 10:31:09 AM
^^ He is a heartless prick.

and when Chuck uses that recording that will probably be the dawn of Saul Goodman.

Quote from: Jeremy Blackman on April 19, 2016, 10:53:57 AM
SPECULATION SPOILER

It's probably Gus Fring. Apparently the first letters of this season's episode titles anagram to "Fring's Back." Thus the weird spelling of this episode, "Klick."

This would 100% make sense. I can see why Gus might be stalking Hector, too. And obviously it's an essential plot move to set up the eventual Gus/Mike/Saul partnership. What if we actually get to see Mike and Gus putting Hector in a wheelchair?

I would bet on it they will have something to do with it, and Hector won't ever see them coming nor will know who did it.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: RegularKarate on April 22, 2016, 05:36:13 PM
SPOILS

I can't imagine that speculation spoiler being anything else now that I read it.

As far as the tape goes. I can't see Chuck using it using it. It will be for blackmail. He will force Jimmy to change his name like he wanted in the first place.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on April 22, 2016, 06:12:32 PM
Oh, good call. I actually don't remember Chuck asking Jimmy to change his name. Would that be good enough for Chuck?

I also can't see Jimmy getting disbarred. He may change his name, but he stays in New Mexico. Not exactly stealing someone's identity or running from disbarment.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Sleepless on April 25, 2016, 09:19:16 AM
That makes sense. The whole recording thing really bothered me, and I really felt like the writers had painted themselves into a corner with it. Couldn't see how they'd get out of it unless Chuck did suddenly die and nothing happens with it, but that theory makes sense and would fit. I really felt that Chuck's story had run its course already, especially with Kim's speech in the previous episode. If that's right though, I can see Jimmy actually feeling freer than ever with the name change - he won't feel like he has to try to live up to Chuck's expectations any more, and his resulting actions will probably piss off Chuck even more.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on April 28, 2016, 11:43:49 PM
Here's a medium semi-spoiler for next season, straight from Vince Gilligan. It relates to the anagram and the speculation spoiler I previously posted. It might accurately set one's expectations.

From Hitfix (http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/better-call-saul-creators-dont-automatically-expect-to-see-gus-next-year)

Gilligan: People should not assume in any way, shape, or form that they'll see Gus in the first episode of next season. It's possible they will. It's also possible, if not more possible, they won't. Gus is a character, as we know from Breaking Bad, who casts a very long shadow, and has a great many agents doing his bidding. He's a guy who's very hard for Walter White to pin down when Walt met him, and I think that will continue to be the case. That is his character, as I understand it. He is not a guy who reveals himself very quickly.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Sleepless on April 29, 2016, 06:29:42 AM
Makes total sense. But the fact remains Gus will be a force in the show next season even if we don't see him. But we likely will, just not in the first episode it sounds like. (Though have they even started writing the next season yet? Probably not.) VG makes me laugh - on the podcast he'll try to drop teasers about stuff, but he always does it so diplomatically that he pretty much tells you exactly what to expect. "Will we see more of Tio? Ah, well, you know, he's not the type of guy to let sleeping dogs lie, so I'd say there's probably a very good chance we'll see him again very, very soon. Mark is an amazing actor."
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: ono on January 04, 2017, 06:02:01 PM
http://screenrant.com/better-call-saul-season-3-promo-jimmy-mcgill/

It begins again~!
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on January 04, 2017, 09:09:54 PM
Oh? Spring? Damn.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: jonas on January 11, 2017, 10:18:28 AM
  :yabbse-grin: :bravo:

Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Garam on January 11, 2017, 01:43:38 PM
These nostalgia cycles are turning really small.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: AntiDumbFrogQuestion on January 14, 2017, 11:54:14 PM
What I've liked about this show so far is that it's creating and propelling it's own narrative, and despite the utilization of Gus and Mike and Tuco and Crazy 8, they don't rely on their appearances as crutches, but as further explorations of the "Breaking Bad universe".
I'm excited to see how Mike eventually becomes Gus' guy, but know the show will be compelling on it's own terms anyways.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on March 11, 2017, 01:24:03 PM
Some spoilages


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yxap1WfiGXI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tzav_u7ZCpA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCaepUgw6OQ
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: ono on March 28, 2017, 05:36:21 PM
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/better-call-saul-season-3-early-reviews-are-in-saul-goodman-gus-fring-bob-odenkirk-breaking-bad-a7653611.html
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on April 10, 2017, 09:25:09 PM
Quote from: Drenk on January 04, 2017, 09:09:54 PM
Oh? Spring? Damn.

Oh? Spring? Already? Damn.

Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on April 11, 2017, 06:10:10 PM
Quote from: Drenk on April 10, 2017, 09:25:09 PM
Quote from: Drenk on January 04, 2017, 09:09:54 PM
Oh? Spring? Damn.

Oh? Spring? Already? Damn.

That show.

(https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/styles/article_small/public/thumbnails/image/2017/04/11/11/damn.jpg)

I love how they tell the story...I love how violent the psychological war is between Chuck and Jimmy...I'm hurt by what Chuck did to him. This is a relationship that we don't often see, I think. When brothers fight, it isn't always as ambiguous, intense and heartbreaking.

The shadows continue to expand.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Sleepless on April 12, 2017, 08:32:01 PM
Never sure what to say about this show. In the time it was off-air, it lost its glow in my mind, but now it's back again - man, it's great. Listened to the podcast today and found it fascinating as usual just hearing them talk about little behind the scenes details like the sculpture at the bank, or how they talked for days in the writers' room about where the tracker was hidden on the car. One thing really surprised me though - about the b&w cold open - VG said that Jimmy hated himself for pointing the guy out, and that his guilt/stress likely contributed to his collapse. I had a completely different reading of the scene. I figured it was like the opening of Switch. He was placed between a rock and a hard place; it was easier for him to silently point the guy out than to risk being later labeled an accomplice or some such for failing to do so. He's trying to stay invisible, which is why the collapse seemed more significant to me - not just for health reasons (which may turn out to be not too significant) but more so that by taken to hospital, his true identity may become known.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on April 20, 2017, 12:29:01 AM
Definitely seeing some cracks — or some frayed paint lines, as it were — in the second episode.

The Los Pollos content was sort of botched...

(1) The very dramatic, slow reveal of the "Los Pollos" sign was groan-worthy. Yes we needed to see that sign, but Jesus, that could not have been worse. We knew this was Los Pollos the minute that guy walked into what was obviously a fast food place. Nevermind that most of us knew even before that scene that Los Pollos was Mike's probable destination. I do not like being so far ahead of the show.

(2) They really hammed it up with Jimmy peering around and sticking out as much as possible. It crossed a line that I think violated his character at least a little. Almost saved it with the watch trick, but I don't buy that a seasoned con man was so incompetent for the rest of it. Especially when he has zero emotional investment (which is his weakness).

(3) When that black SUV screeched up to the back of Los Pollos, then peeled away, it was obviously a trap, right? That was completely incongruous with everything Mike had seen beforehand. And yet he fell for it. Seemed excited, even. "Gah, Mike, what are you doing? Don't you get it?" Is something I didn't expect to say at the screen. I don't like it. Why can't Mike remain one step ahead of me, while Fring is yet another step ahead?

One other complaint. "A little crooked"... Wow, they really do like to put a button on things. Happened several times in these first two episodes.  I remember when this show would let subtext unfold beautifully. The writing is not quite where it should be. The scene at Mesa Verde last week was pretty badly written, too.

There were still a lot of things I loved about this episode. The shots of Mike among the landscape were breathtaking. I actually liked the out-of-focus reveal of Gus cleaning up in the background. Howard climbing the walls was delightful. The way Jimmy broke in was just perfect and true to his character — an upending of expectations exactly like we might have seen in Breaking Bad.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Sleepless on April 20, 2017, 08:50:37 AM
Absolutely agree with all of that. The good and the bad. In retrospect, perhaps one of the show's weakest-written episodes so far. Kim didn't seem herself to me either, even before Ernesto showed up. I'll be listening to the podcast on my lunchtime walk today, so maybe that will improve my perspective on it all.

Maybe if Gus had been a surprise, it would have worked. It certainly seemed it was written as though the audience wouldn't know. You could even point fingers at AMC for ruining it with all the Gus-centric publicity once the scripts were written, but the writers knew before last season ended that everyone had cottoned on to "Fring's back" so really there's no excuse for not being a bit more clever with it. In the future, watching it out of the context of now, I can see it playing better regardless of whether you already know or not, but for everyone watching in the moment, it should have done a better job, as you said, of upending of expectations somehow. Maybe they should have just ripped the bandaid and had the cold open be Gus right there from the off.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: RegularKarate on April 20, 2017, 02:57:09 PM
1.) I didn't groan at this moment, but I did say out loud "What would someone who hasn't seen Breaking Bad think of this moment? It would be fucking ridiculous. This show is obviously for fans of BB, but it should mostly work completely on its own". I think if it had just been a little quicker and the music were a little toned down, it would have been great.

2.) I think this is true to character. When he's not in con-mode, he's not in control. This is why he needs Mike.

3.) I dont' think we are meant to believe Mike was necessarily falling for anything. When he looks at the tracker and it's not moving, to me, his face says "I know, but where's this going?".
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on April 25, 2017, 01:40:26 PM
The Mike part of this show is taking too much place this season. It's kind of breaking the show...
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Fuzzy Dunlop on April 25, 2017, 02:29:13 PM
Quote from: Drenk on April 25, 2017, 01:40:26 PM
The Mike part of this show is taking too much place this season. It's kind of breaking the show...

Breaking good or bad?
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on April 25, 2017, 02:29:56 PM
I haven't seen last night's ep yet, but I assume the Jimmy and Mike stories are going to dovetail beautifully at some point. Because otherwise, yeah...
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Sleepless on April 26, 2017, 09:56:06 AM
The Mike episode in S1 was great, but I felt Mike was taking up too much of the show last season. This season it definitely feels like the writers are more interested in Mike than Jimmy. Seems like Jimmy's on the fast track to becoming Saul now though. Do we know yet if there's going to be a S4 or how long VG envisions this show going on?
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on May 02, 2017, 07:35:41 AM
26 minutes in: first scene with Jimmy. They know I can watch Breaking Bad if I want to see Gus and Mike?
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on May 03, 2017, 12:53:35 AM
SPOILS

You know, I actually loved the Fring scenes. It does feel at times like this show is mis-titled, though.

Did Kim record Chuck when he admitted to staging a duplicate tape for Jimmy to destroy? After all, if that tape can be played, her tape would also be admissible. Maybe that's too obvious though.

Quick world-building question. I wonder how many restaurants Gus owns at this point. Why does he have so much happening in the supply chain, yet he's focused on this one location? None of that is clear to me.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on May 03, 2017, 08:52:29 AM
Every scene with Fring is some variation of what's in Breaking Bad. I'm bored of this: "he's nice/oh he looooks dangerous now/oh he is calm again and very eloquent !" Fring is a great character but he is also a very cartoonish one. I couldn't be less interested by a prequel for his story. They are chained to Breaking Bad. The first scene of this week episode was a long wink to the cold open of an episode in season 4. The best scene by a wide margin being the scene in season 4 of Breaking Bad...

I'm very disappointed...
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Sleepless on May 03, 2017, 10:32:06 AM
Honestly began to think there would be no Jimmy in this episode. Agree with pretty much everything that's already been said. Think the explanation Gus gave to his employees was really weak though. Thought it would have been much more convincing if he's confessed to having a gambling addiction/loaned money or something. I really hope the Mike/Gus stuff fades more into the background going forward though. I guess Mike's "origin story" (I hate that phrase) is somewhat tied to Saul's, but Jimmy's is actually the more interesting and it's really getting the short shrift so far this season.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: RegularKarate on May 05, 2017, 10:52:16 AM
I liked all the Fring stuff. I liked seeing him a little less together.

I assume all of this comes together so that these storylines are less separate. If not, the worst thing about it is that the title of the should have been "Better Like Mike" or something.

I think the expectations for this show are often misplaced. It's really smart storytelling, but it's still pulply, unbelievable, nonsense.

SPOILS
I don't think she recorded the conversation, but I do think that maybe the address Mike gave him was the address of the place where the tape is being kept.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on May 05, 2017, 02:43:44 PM
Quote from: RegularKarate on May 05, 2017, 10:52:16 AMSPOILS
I don't think she recorded the conversation, but I do think that maybe the address Mike gave him was the address of the place where the tape is being kept.

That sounds plausible. It seems weird for Kim to be excited to break in somewhere and steal a tape, though.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: RegularKarate on May 05, 2017, 05:00:51 PM
Quote from: Jeremy Blackman on May 05, 2017, 02:43:44 PM
That sounds plausible. It seems weird for Kim to be excited to break in somewhere and steal a tape, though.

Yeah, that's exactly what I thought, but then I was like "regardless, it seems like she IS excited about something shady".
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: jonas on May 09, 2017, 01:24:25 PM
*SPOILS*

Easily best episode of the season, maybe best of the show so far. Micheal McKean knocked it out of the park this week and Odenkirk did a great job of looking totally deflated in taking his brother down a very large peg in front of the court. Gloves are off now, wonder how it will shake out for Chuck.

Oh, and HUEL!  :bravo:
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on May 09, 2017, 05:20:40 PM
That's what I was talking about. That episode is the show I love.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on May 10, 2017, 12:18:13 AM
SPOILERS

There was so much beautiful internal foreshadowing. Things were set up just to make it sting that much worse for Chuck in the end. One of my favorites is how Chuck makes sure the court reporter can hear him. Yes indeed, all the details of his mental illness are going on the record for posterity — his legacy permanently damaged.

"Is something in your pocket, Jimmy?" Nope, it's in yours.

I heard a podcast boldly theorize (a couple weeks ago) that perhaps Jimmy drops the McGill name to escape association with Chuck. I think that could end up being true, in a way. It's better to not have people look up this case.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Sleepless on May 10, 2017, 11:14:42 AM
Agree with all of the above. A great episode all around. Didn't miss Mike one bit.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on May 16, 2017, 12:59:08 AM
SPOILERS

I just read a critic say that Chuck is hatching a new plan against Jimmy. But that's wrong, right? It seems like he's motivated to get help for himself. He even called the doctor who was skeptical about his condition.

And I'm going to have to reiterate this. Something is off about Mike's daughter-in-law. She seems manipulative and not genuine, and/or a little crazy. It was worse when she was trying to get a new house, but it's still there. Whenever she talks, it sounds like she's reciting something from memory, not speaking like a human. Is this a problem with the acting, or is it an intended part of her character?
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on May 16, 2017, 07:11:37 AM
It's a problem with the acting, it's there since season 1. That's why it's really hard for me to invest in that storyline.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Sleepless on May 17, 2017, 09:49:36 AM
Was it just me or did the scene with Howard leaving Chuck's seem like it was foreshadowing Howard's death? (After they've been drinking, Chuck asks if he's okay to drive.) Plot wise, it might make sense. What's the worst thing that could happen to Chuck now on top of losing his brother and being forced to confront a mental illness? Losing his business partner and being forced to confront the challenge of running a major law firm when all the employees think he's crazy. It would be a massive jolt and send Chuck ever further down this terrible spiral. But it would be a bit heavy handed for the show, especially given there was no callback to it within the same episode. For some reason that scene stuck out for me. Weird.

Also, that playground chat scene was pretty terrible.

Chalk it up to a couple of "off brand" scenes?
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: RegularKarate on May 17, 2017, 12:31:26 PM
SPOILERS

Quote from: Jeremy Blackman on May 16, 2017, 12:59:08 AM
I just read a critic say that Chuck is hatching a new plan against Jimmy. But that's wrong, right? It seems like he's motivated to get help for himself. He even called the doctor who was skeptical about his condition.

Yeah, we are due for another swing toward really feeling for Chuck again. If he accepts his issue and tries to work on it, we can start to like him again and hope he and Jimmy patch things up.

Quote from: Jeremy Blackman on May 16, 2017, 12:59:08 AM
And I'm going to have to reiterate this. Something is off about Mike's daughter-in-law. She seems manipulative and not genuine, and/or a little crazy. It was worse when she was trying to get a new house, but it's still there. Whenever she talks, it sounds like she's reciting something from memory, not speaking like a human. Is this a problem with the acting, or is it an intended part of her character?

Honestly, I think it's both. I think she's a bad actress, but I also think that on paper, it definitely seems like she's taking advantage of him.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Kal on June 14, 2017, 12:41:50 AM
Everyone still watching this? I am really enjoying this season in general but have mixed feelings over what's been happening to move story forward...

I think that given we all know the future (of some major characters at least), I'm anxious to understand how some of the current events get us there. The Mike/Fring stuff is pretty obvious, but the Jimmy/Chuck/Kim is far more interesting and in some ways unexpected.

SPOILERS

- We have really seen all the angles to prove that Chuck is as much as an asshole as Jimmy, because he only wants to win and be right and he doesn't care if he destroys everything to get there. That will probably be his downfall.

- I don't fully understand Kim's attitude. Does he work this hard to distance herself from Jimmy? It's not the money and it's not her career given how things are going. She could get help. So why put herself in that position? The whole situation with the car earlier in the episode was brilliant, and set the ending up perfectly.

- No way Jimmy gets that million dollars, but would be pretty sweet if he did and we get to see him riding high before the inevitable fall.

Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Fernando on June 14, 2017, 10:56:41 AM
SPOILS S03E09


Pretty much agree with you, the one story I'm more invested is Kim's, but also Nacho's even thou we know that pill exchange will work wonders, it's just a matter if he will make it alive.

The Kim stuff was great, when she was driving after leaving Saul and Francesca I couldn't help to think that either of them should be driving her not because I anticipated the accident but so she could be at the car preparing for the meeting, and then boom, btw I loved how they showed us the car crashed, instead of the typically shot of some car approaching from the front right side door glass it cuts to her with several injuries in her face and probably a broken arm.

Quote from: Kal on June 14, 2017, 12:41:50 AM

- I don't fully understand Kim's attitude. Does she work this hard to distance herself from Jimmy? It's not the money and it's not her career given how things are going. She could get help. So why put herself in that position? The whole situation with the car earlier in the episode was brilliant, and set the ending up perfectly.


Yes, I thought the same thing, she clearly can afford it now, it's the one thing that doesn't make much sense in an otherwise great season.

Quote from: Kal on June 14, 2017, 12:41:50 AM
- We have really seen all the angles to prove that Chuck is as much as an asshole as Jimmy, because he only wants to win and be right and he doesn't care if he destroys everything to get there. That will probably be his downfall.


Agree, Chuck is an insufferable prick and Howard just got a taste of that.

I hope S3 finale is a little longer than usual because there's just so much going on:

* Kim. How her crash will affect her Mesa Verde account? This new one is done right?
* Saul. Will she cash in?
* Future Saul. He collapsed, there has to be something about that.
* Nacho vs Don Hector.
* Chuck vs HHM
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on June 14, 2017, 11:48:34 AM
SPOILERS

It's a chaotic season. All the time given to Mike and Gus is, I think, a total waste. It's not as solid as season 2 was. Or as any season of Breaking Bad (even when they were making it up as they went along (hello season 5 and the nazis)). Nacho is so much more interesting for this show than Mike is...I'm glad we got more of him for the last episodes but it seems a little late for the season...

Why did we have scenes with Mike doing construction work? I can't remember the context, it's as if I were sleepwatching when Mike is on...Last episode was very good, but we once again got an overlong scene with Mike. Now he's on the books. Ok. Does he care? Is he conflicted? He seems a little bothered but he's just stoic. They take for granted that Mike is cool. So they give him "cool" things to do with no story behind...

I'm talking a lot about this because it takes a lot of time, and I understand that they need to create links with Breaking Bad so they have to involve Mike and Gus more, but Nacho's story is linked to them and this is what I want...

The rest is rushed. The conflict between Jimmy/Chuck. Or how Howard suddenly can't support Chuck anymore. Or how Kim is avoiding her moral issues by working as hard as she can...I wish it felt more organic, but this season is a misshapen Lego. But the last episode was solid, and I am excited for the finale—even if I don't really know where they'll go since this season didn't have any real direction. Except a definitive breakup between Kim and Jimmy?

Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: diggler on June 19, 2017, 01:06:23 PM
We're at the end of season 3 of a show called Better Call Saul and Saul has barely showed up, I think it's anything but rushed. The parallel stories aren't gelling well because there aren't many reasons for Jimmy and Mike to work together. I find that the more I think of these things, the less I enjoy the show. The filmmaking is so good though that I still enjoy letting it all wash over me. Jimmy could disappear for an entire episode and I would still be captivated.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Kal on June 19, 2017, 03:25:01 PM
Quote from: diggler on June 19, 2017, 01:06:23 PM
The parallel stories aren't gelling well because there aren't many reasons for Jimmy and Mike to work together.

I think this is definitely strange this season, because they did work together before and the chemistry was pretty great. I was hoping that would continue in some way but the only scene they had together this season was when Jimmy went into Los Pollos Hermanos. Great sequence but too short. Maybe the finale brings them back together and sets things up for a bigger collaboration with Fring next season.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on June 19, 2017, 03:29:28 PM
Quote from: diggler on June 19, 2017, 01:06:23 PMI find that the more I think of these things, the less I enjoy the show. The filmmaking is so good though that I still enjoy letting it all wash over me. Jimmy could disappear for an entire episode and I would still be captivated.

That's the crux for me. The day-to-day writing is usually pretty great, but I rarely feel like someone's essential vision is coming together on screen. The entire show itself seems entertaining but not essential.

It also kind of feels like we're stuck in a loop right now. There have been no new elements in quite a long time. The show is either using characters and things from Breaking Bad, or it's circling back to the same old things. Even Chuck's doctor was reused from a previous season.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on June 19, 2017, 04:58:02 PM
When I say it's rushed I am not talking about the end goal, I am mostly talking about the storylines of the season for Jimmy, Kim, Howard, Chuck, Nacho. Mike doesn't have any storyline, it's all about painfully taking him to where he is in Breaking Bad.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: diggler on June 19, 2017, 05:29:20 PM
I can agree with that, it's hard to see past the prequel nature to find the point of it all. Mike has already had his arc, teaming up with Gus feels like an inevitability. Gus is a very interesting character but that was mostly due to his ambiguous nature. Knowing every detail about his rise could only serve to demystify him and cheapen the great story we already got.

It feels like the middle movie in a saga, where everyone is on their separate adventures and will come to some sort of climax in the next film. That climax is Breaking Bad so it will be hard for this show to feel like a complete story. I think that's where the black and white flash forwards come in. At least you don't know where that's going yet. I think in the end that will have been the show's smartest decision.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: polkablues on June 19, 2017, 05:58:36 PM
Part of the problem with Mike's storyline is that the very nature of his character precludes the possibility of any major twists or setbacks at this point in his story. His character is defined by his competence and carefulness, and given that we can now draw a straight line between where his character now is in Better Call Saul and where he is when we're introduced to the character in Breaking Bad, there's simply not much in the way of real drama and surprise that can interrupt that line without fundamentally changing the story. Until he is eventually overwhelmed by the whirlwind of chaos that is Walter White, there's not much for him to do but bide his time in a succinct, professional manner while other stories go on around him.

Sucks, because he's my favorite Breaking Bad character by a wide margin, but I think it would do the show well to pull away from him next season, only bring him in when he dovetails directly with Jimmy's storyline.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on June 20, 2017, 02:02:42 AM
SPOILERS

Midway through the episode, I had a few thoughts about Chuck. Wow, they're really going hardcore making him irredeemable. Wow, what is he doing to his house? That was so far beyond any destruction he had previously done, I felt like they were totally jumping the shark with his mental illness. But then, considering how things ended, it does feel suitably apocalyptic in retrospect.

A couple things still nag at me, though. I sort of wonder why Chuck so freely and carelessly destroyed his house if he still wanted to live at that point. Also, burning to death is one of the absolute worst ways to die. (In this case, I don't think he can count on being asphyxiated first.)

This episode was stuffed full of Jimmy redemption. All of his content with Kim was "save the cat" on steroids. I bought it — those scenes were well played — but it does seem strange to push all of that into one episode after having no idea what their domestic life has been like (at all) recently.

More problematic — Jimmy conned those old ladies last episode with no visible remorse, all the way to the end. He even witnessed the consequences and didn't bat an eye. I genuinely don't understand what changed his mind. The things he did last episode (which was even called "Fall") were supposed to push him further towards Saul-ness. But now the writers have reversed that progress and also redeemed him an extra step or two. Seems like a waste.

One might even argue they're jerking around the character to achieve plot goals. I wouldn't go that far, but it does seem like they hit the "abort" button and decided to keep Jimmy fully likable for a while longer. In this episode, Jimmy made enormous sacrifices, apologized to Chuck, humiliated himself in front of the old ladies and Chuck, blanketed Kim with love and support (he even wanted to feed her), and continuously expressed all kinds of remorse that came out of nowhere. I mean... they really used the brute force method here.

This reeks a bit of Walter's completely unearned partial redemption at the end of Breaking Bad. I continue to feel the heavy hand of the writers moving the pieces around on the board. I don't listen to the insider podcast, which I thought would prevent me feeling that way, but it has not.

Just need to end on a positive note (because I still enjoyed this). My favorite moment of the episode was Gus looking at Nacho after the ambulance pulled away. His spidey sense was definitely tingling.

Actually the extended standing ovation for Chuck was the best part. Amazing scene.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on July 15, 2017, 02:15:16 PM
I choose to believe this is in-universe. Mike modeled for an ad on the side.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: polkablues on July 15, 2017, 04:01:21 PM
The junkyard guy took this shot while he was dismantling his car to look for the tracking device.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: ono on August 19, 2018, 10:45:39 PM
You know this place is dead when two episodes of Better Call Saul Season 4 have aired and no one has posted since last year.  Sup.  Just giving this a little kick.  I've heard this show is pretty good.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: wilberfan on August 19, 2018, 10:55:22 PM
Good point.   I just noticed there's not even a thread yet for "Get Shorty", despite having started it's second season.

I enjoy both series quite a bit, actually.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Something Spanish on August 20, 2018, 12:27:16 PM
Only when a new PTA movie is announced and there are no posts on it will I consider this place dead. (was into Breaking Bad bigly when it aired, been meaning to give Saul a chance)
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: jonas on August 20, 2018, 02:36:01 PM
Only 2 episodes in for this season (#3 airing tonight).

It's been a slow start to the season, and not unexpected after the season 3 finale. Both have been solid episodes thus far, with a good ending last week.

The blending with the BB will continue and it should be great, I have a feeling tonight's episode will move some things along.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on August 28, 2018, 04:53:40 PM
It's been a great season so far. Unlike season 3, I like all storylines. I don't really have any criticism...I feel lucky when I watch the show. I'm happy it exists.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Sleepless on August 29, 2018, 08:49:09 AM
I never know how to talk about this show. It's so slow burning, with big things happening through often quiet moments. It's because so much of what happens - so much of the greatness that happens - is intangible, it makes it difficult to happen. At times it seems ridiculous that we're in S4 already, but then so much has already happened. This is a great show.

Although, criticisms... I think I've voiced before how I'm not a Shiban fan. He directed episode 4 and it shows.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on September 03, 2018, 01:43:11 AM
This is a fun show and I wouldn't miss it. But it's hard not to compare it unfavorably to Breaking Bad. Better Call Saul has about half the intensity. On paper it shouldn't necessarily, but it's a ensemble story, and its powers are diffuse. On top of that, when the Jimmy/Chuck pairing disappeared, most of the show's tension disappeared with it. Whole thing kind of feels uncentered now.

And yeah, Episode 4 felt noticeably off due to Jon Shiban's reliably poor directing work. There were some unusually dumb moments. And the final scene was actually pretty bad.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Sleepless on September 05, 2018, 09:18:24 AM
JB, not sure if you've seen episode 5 yet, but it's great. A really good contrast to last week. The BB crossovers are starting to happen big time and it feels like we have some momentum now. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if we're a whole lot closer to Jimmy fully becoming Saul than we ever suspected.

I've always have ambivalent feelings about the extent of the cartel aspects of this show as they often have nothing directly to do with Jimmy's story, and the morning after, I feel the same about those scenes in this episode. But I'd by lying if I said I didn't have a huge goofy grin throughout when I was watching.

Also, Marlon Young.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: ©brad on September 10, 2018, 01:25:17 PM
Man this show is in no hurry at all is it. There are some lovely performances and inventive filmmaking you expect from a Gilligan production, but overall I feel the show lacks urgency, and is outright boring at times. The Mexican cartel turf war stuff is not that interesting, and the more we learn about Gus the less mysterious and scary he is. Never mind the fact that as many have pointed out, it feels like two separate shows that have yet to converge in any surprising way, to the point where one wonders what the point of the series actually is beyond fan service to Breaking Bad fanatics.

It's entertaining and watchable for sure. But it doesn't feel essential. Maybe I just miss Breaking Bad too much.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on September 11, 2018, 12:45:35 PM
(Light spoilers)

Pretty much fully agree. A lot of these scenes, while great, feel fan-fictiony and not that surprising. They're fun, but they play out essentially how one would expect. This show is not delivering many mic drop moments anymore.

And yeah. It can be flat-out boring. I question the need for a full montage of Jimmy unpacking a pallet of phone boxes.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: jonas on September 12, 2018, 02:31:43 PM
*SPOILER*

The cold openings have been great this season, with the last one revealing a good chunk of what's going to make Jimmy turn into Saul: He didn't become a lawyer to impress Chuck, he did it to impress Kim.

Now that Jimmy sees the writing on the wall (Kim doesn't share the same dream of a Wexler-McGill Firm), he has nothing to keep him honest, so he should be shifted fully into Saul by the end of the season.

I agree with Jeremy on the pallet unpacking montage, it was a bit much.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on September 12, 2018, 07:05:46 PM
There's been a voice in the back of my head that the Jimmy & Kim stuff is by far the deepest content of the series, and I think that's probably right.

Didn't quite sink in until I heard the fantastic analysis on this podcast episode:

http://baldmove.com/better-call-saul/406-pinata/
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: wilberfan on September 12, 2018, 07:22:11 PM
A bit slow, perhaps, but I tend to be very forgiving of and patient with both Vince Gilligan and David Simon.  And I think you're probably right about the dynamics between Jimmy & Kim.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Kal on September 13, 2018, 12:19:12 PM
This episode is the first one that felt boring to me this season. I also re-watched all of Breaking Bad earlier this year and it's amazing how much happened on that show on every single episode pretty much. There were very few filler episodes and most episodes had memorable moments that moved the plot forward in some way or another.

I almost wish this show made a sudden Lost-like shift and started showing us more about the future than the past. Perhaps that is what is coming to end this season, Jimmy's transformation into Saul, losing Kim, and next season is about trying to get his life together as Jimmy again and get Kim back post-BB? Maybe it's a long shot, and it would be tough for them to focus too much on the post-BB life given that Mike, Gus and so many other key characters are gone... but on the flip side it could re-introduce Jesse and other BB characters who are still alive...


Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Kal on September 20, 2018, 12:08:03 AM
The last episode did move things forward quite a bit... SPOILERS

First there was the time jump, which was considerable, and it was a nice montage that showed how Jimmy slowly becomes Saul and how he starts to drift apart from Kim. I find all this stuff interesting to watch and beautifully executed, but we are total geeks here, because otherwise I don't know how important is to watch them build the lab, and whatever fights they have while they are building it, cause ultimately it gets done and we know how it all turns out. Same with the Huell storyline. Or with Hector's recovery. We know what happens...

Doesn't make it less fun to watch, but I wish the stakes were a bit higher. As much as I enjoy the BB cameos and re-appearances, I'm curious about the characters we don't get to see in BB and what will happen to them. And of course what will happen to whomever is alive post-BB.

Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on September 20, 2018, 11:11:24 AM
SPOILERS

Agreed. They made an enormous leap through time, and yet the episode somehow still felt slow. I think that's just what this show is. Which is fine, I guess. There are enough really strong character moments to hold my interest. Like this week, that moment when Kim slumped down on the couch absolutely killed me.

Here's a potential plot hole. Gus and Mike have gone to extreme measures to make sure Werner and his men don't know where they are and wouldn't be able to identify Albuquerque as the location. And yet, Werner knows Gus Fring's full name. Mr. Fring this and Mr. Fring that. Gus even introduced himself as "Gus Fring" when they first met. One quick search for that name would reveal that Gus Fring owns a bunch of fast food restaurants in Albuquerque. What the heck? This only makes sense if Gus plans to murder all the workers when they're done. And I very much doubt Mike would be okay with that. Gus could secretly kill the workers, but Mike should still be fully aware of the security loophole.

Also, apparently this excavation makes no sense from a structural engineering perspective. I can suspend my disbelief, but I would have liked them to explain how they removed all that soil. (In the middle of a working laundry place, no less.)
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Sleepless on September 20, 2018, 11:43:25 AM
Didn't they also go for some R&R in a local bar too, this episode?
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on September 20, 2018, 12:29:36 PM
SPOILS

They were at the in-house bar. But from that conversation and a previous comment from a worker ("where are the girls?"), it's pretty clear that they want prostitutes.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on September 25, 2018, 02:38:22 PM
I love this season more than you do—I'm never bored!even at the Mike parts!—but I just wanted to say one thing:

The Kim/Jimmy relationship is endlessly fascinating to me and thus ultimately more precious than what's on Breaking Bad, which is why, not saying that one show is better than another one, I'll always look more fondly at Better Call Saul. (I'm worried about season 5, though. I wish it could end in four episodes or something...)
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on September 26, 2018, 11:24:41 AM
SPOILERS

This episode has gotten some mixed reactions, apparently, but I have to say it's one of my favorites of the season. Finally, surprising things are happening.

Kim's character turn is totally fascinating to me. It's a surprise but also makes sense. She is 100% addicted to scamming (there's a reason she's stayed with Jimmy), and she's been using her workaholic lifestyle as a distraction. The only real difference between her and Jimmy is she wants to scam for a good cause.

Some nitpicks. Jimmy's pastor character was almost full-on Mr. Show. It was a little too much. If I were the prosecutor, I would have immediately done a whois search on the church website domain, which ostensibly would have revealed the scam. There are a few too many loose ends.

I thought the Germans wanted actual prostitutes or something. They're somehow satisfied by watching bikini-clad dancers?
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Kal on September 26, 2018, 03:44:24 PM
Quote from: Jeremy Blackman on September 26, 2018, 11:24:41 AM
SPOILERS
Some nitpicks. Jimmy's pastor character was almost full-on Mr. Show. It was a little too much. If I were the prosecutor, I would have immediately done a whois search on the church website domain, which ostensibly would have revealed the scam. There are a few too many loose ends.

I thought the Germans wanted actual prostitutes or something. They're somehow satisfied by watching bikini-clad dancers?

Remember this is still early 2000s, so I can't imagine a DA from Albuquerque being savvy enough with the Internet to do a WHOIS search, and even if you do so many domains block their registration details. Oh and by the way, Google Maps didn't even come out until 2005  :shock:
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Sleepless on November 07, 2018, 12:19:17 PM
So this is why VG hasn't been in the writer's room for the past year+

'Breaking Bad' Movie In the Works With Creator Vince Gilligan (https://www.indiewire.com/2018/11/breaking-bad-movie-vince-gilligan-details-fan-theories-walter-white-1202018705/)

Seems this is a new strategy for AMC. Earlier in the week they announced Andrew Lincoln's Walking Dead character hasn't actually been killed off the show - true, he'll never appear again - but that's because he's getting his own spin-off movie series (https://www.indiewire.com/2018/11/walking-dead-rick-grimes-movies-andrew-lincoln-amc-studios-1202017997/).
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: ©brad on November 07, 2018, 12:46:05 PM
Quote from: Sleepless on November 07, 2018, 12:19:17 PM
So this is why VG hasn't been in the writer's room for the past year+

Interesting... but he's still directed quite a few eps of season 4 no?
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: WorldForgot on November 07, 2018, 12:47:07 PM
Quote from: ©brad on November 07, 2018, 12:46:05 PM
Quote from: Sleepless on November 07, 2018, 12:19:17 PM
So this is why VG hasn't been in the writer's room for the past year+

Interesting... but he's still directed quite a few eps of season 4 no?

Uno
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on November 07, 2018, 04:44:16 PM
If it's about Jesse, great. It kind of sucked how much season 5 didn't really care about him.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Sleepless on November 07, 2018, 04:50:37 PM
Jesse was my thought too. AP needs a career resurrection.

I think it was mentioned on one of the very last episodes of the S4 podcast (probably Wiedersehen) that he hadn't been involved in the writing this season, which was the first official confirmation I was aware of. Although in previous episodes he'd asked PG how they came to certain decisions, which I thought was weird at the time, but just figured he'd not been part of those specific conversations. Something else I saw somewhere said he wasn't in the writer's room last season either, but he is a credited writer on Mabel.

Either way, he's still very much involved in BCS, but not in the writing (at least for S4). I guess because he's been focusing on this.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Sleepless on November 20, 2019, 12:53:59 PM
S5 premieres February 23.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: WorldForgot on January 09, 2020, 12:58:41 PM
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EN27aZoU0AASe9O?format=jpg&name=4096x4096)
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: wilberfan on January 09, 2020, 02:43:30 PM
No heart.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: WorldForgot on January 09, 2020, 02:59:53 PM
Their key-art/promo materials for each season has been its own work of art.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: WorldForgot on January 16, 2020, 07:28:18 PM
https://twitter.com/kelseymsutton/status/1217980762101649411
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: WorldForgot on February 26, 2020, 03:03:14 PM
Lalo Salamanca is such a great character. Tony Dalton going toe-to-toe with Giancarlo Esposito, what a delight. Meanwhile, Odenkirk gets to play two distinct personalities as "Saul" grows and develops and Kim gets stuck at the crossroads.

Loved
"It's the closet of your dreams."
"Our dreams."
"Sure."
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on February 27, 2020, 08:57:14 AM
I'm extremely bored when all that Narco shit gets all the screentime, even though it's done in an entertaining way and all—but I don't care. And it's getting extremely silly when all the drug addicts are treated like goofy characters.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: WorldForgot on February 27, 2020, 10:55:32 AM
This seemz to be an issue you have with Breaking Bad/El Camino too -- I mean you called El Camino just an extended ep of BB. It's an aesthetic or tonal concern, but none of the "narco" crime elements or comedic-stylized druggie bits in BCS are dissimilar from Breaking Bad's. Narco-crime has been a huge focus since Salamanca and El Paso. Its tone hits like pulp, not corn.

I mean, the parking lot shootout with Hank and the Twins? Gus Fring as a character? Badger and Skinny Pete. Even the "yeah, bitch!" motif became its own meme. Its druggie vibe has always had goofy charm.  But that's also what makes episodes like "Peekaboo" all the more tense and potent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwsuyU7uEXo

Last season at the moneywire storefront, Lalo's ceiling drop became one of my fav moments :p
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on February 27, 2020, 11:20:27 AM
Enjoyed the episodes as always. So much writerly subtext in practically every scene. And Lalo is indeed a great character. But two bits felt off for me:

Spoiler: ShowHide
The crime spree montage was a little ridiculous. Strange theory that those guys would be inspired to do crime when they learn their consequences might be 50% less. Unless they are truly stupid as dirt. And maybe that's what the show is trying to say. Still, a weird lack of subtlety.

Mike's blowup at Kaylee was strange and went on too long. Am I wrong? Just seemed like he would catch himself and take back some self-control. He was weirdly committed to bullying her for much longer than I was willing to buy.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: WorldForgot on February 27, 2020, 11:47:12 AM
Spoiler: ShowHide
To me it was the editing of his outburst that was odd, not the performance or writing so much. The composition became this almost Kaylee-POV that was odd, and idk how to describe it, but the edit just felt more subjective than BB/BCS usually plays out for a moment like that, from Mike's profile to that head-on shot. The performance felt honest to me, though. Hungover, guilty, pestered.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: WorldForgot on February 27, 2020, 06:42:16 PM
https://twitter.com/BetterCallSaul/status/1233104509704048640
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on April 02, 2020, 09:34:17 PM
Alright so this week's episode was one of the best of the whole series. I highly recommend this season.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on April 02, 2020, 09:46:19 PM
I loved the last two episodes! Especially the last one, yes. I found the beginning of the season very rough and I had lost faith with the show, but they managed to find another way to make the fall of Jimmy intense and poignant again.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: WorldForgot on April 02, 2020, 11:57:36 PM
They shifted from Lalo to Kim so you dug in :P

I kid, but also I think Rhea iz a powerhouse.
Spoiler: ShowHide
The "proposal," Jimmy's bedroom confession. So sweet/tragic.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Sleepless on April 03, 2020, 08:18:19 AM
I absolutely adore this show. Some of the best TV.

Bob and Rhea are seriously underrated and deserve a lot more recognition come award times.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Sleepless on April 15, 2020, 08:17:34 AM
It feels like every week we're saying that was the best episode yet, but wow, it may very really be true this time around. And I called that it was a Schnauz special before his name came up in the opening credits. Had his finger prints all over it.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: WorldForgot on April 21, 2020, 07:02:06 PM
Spoiler: ShowHide
(https://i.imgur.com/3tlQDXb.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/oFYHM7H.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/uTHwmVo.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/Uu2OrMY.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/RZAFmn8.png)
(https://i.imgur.com/XxydrPH.png)
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on April 21, 2020, 08:30:20 PM
Lovely stuff.

Ultimately, I loved this season! The last half was spectacular. I even dig Lalo; at first, he seemed too similar to regular sociopaths, but he grew on me.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on October 23, 2021, 04:50:40 PM
https://twitter.com/MagicZoetrope/status/1441602760374247428

Bob Odenkirk is THE BEST.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: ono on April 12, 2022, 08:32:29 PM
I love that they took the time to do this:


April 18th can't get here fast enough.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: WorldForgot on April 12, 2022, 10:04:25 PM
This show totally inspires me. It fulfillz an aesthetic and thematic promise - existing within the "world" and mood that Breaking Bad set-up so that we have the same angles on crime and bureacratic hypocrisy, of personal ambition and desire corroding our integrity, and yet it never feels like it leans on spin-off-self-referentialness or as if it's a product of a franchise. It's its own totality of serialized drama. Instead of a drug empire, we watch the romantic tragedy of a couple that can scheme and riff their way toward justice, within a world where justice matterz 'least.'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3DvGdefnbQ
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: ono on April 12, 2022, 10:13:11 PM
Also, I love watching these.  Really well thought out, thorough, and insightful analyses:


There's videos for seasons 4 and 5.  I don't quite agree with the latest one, so I figured I'd just link to the first.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: WorldForgot on April 28, 2022, 09:13:57 PM
Man, the suspense in Nacho Varga's storyline is working so well. Feelz as tragic as Jesse's plight except the way Nacho tugs against Gus' leash iz very different than its Breaking Bad parallel. Walt didn't have as much power over Jesse, and that feeling of independence gave Jesse the notion that Walt might care. Meanwhile, the heel on top of Nacho's so removed as to be near bureacratic, a crime foil to the stacking strata of impersonal 'law' and court. Emotionally granular unlike those of other Cartel narrative series.

In this latest episode, s6e3
Spoiler: ShowHide
I loved the haunting touch of a stranger helping Nacho out, y la Virgin up on the wall as he calls his father who wants only for his son to turn himself in, a 'confession' that serves a point but to no good end. He'll die for his father and to unbind himself.


(https://i.ibb.co/N1NgBw8/vlcsnap-2022-04-28-19h41m22s364.png)
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on May 07, 2022, 02:47:07 AM
Just caught up with episode 4. Such a good "moment" in the story where everything feels right on the edge, and a number of simple decisions are deciding everyone's fate all at once. Especially appreciated the nuance of Kim's ambivalence.

I still find myself a little tested by the pace of the show. Its slowness is fine in a vacuum, because it's just so good at everything it does with its time. But I can't shake this feeling that every scene is a tease. Every episode flies by and feels way too short, while the bigger picture story feels languid.

Maybe I'm sensing the process too much. I think there's something about how evenly-spaced important events are in this story. In real life, things are status quo for a while and a series of changes can happen suddenly or randomly. But in BCS, crucial story beats happen at regular intervals in a way that feels a bit artificial and writerly. I'm probably being unfair, but that's how it's currently hitting me.

I don't expect BCS to be Breaking Bad, but I do miss the way a number of things would happen all at once and compound intricately in a way that felt random and realistic. BCS is more like a slow cycle of dread and release, with things getting very slowly worse.

Ep 4 spoilers:

Spoiler: ShowHide
That scene with Gus going into the tunnel. I got so excited because I thought they were revealing that he was an informant all along. But this was just... kinda silly.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on May 11, 2022, 12:57:14 AM
The pacing of the last two episodes has been questionable. A lot of repetition of bits that were overlong last week. Don't get me wrong, they could craft a thrilling scene of a person cooking pasta or doing their laces, so I'm still entertained—but I can taste filler and wonder what's coming. More filler until a few episodes are left?
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on May 11, 2022, 02:10:50 AM
That's the thing. I wouldn't call it filler. I think the teasing IS the narrative.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on May 11, 2022, 04:42:26 AM
That was definitely the excuse in the writing room.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on May 11, 2022, 04:58:03 AM
Right. We had at least one ostensible payoff this episode, but it didn't really feel that way. It just set up something new. And I'm still hooked.

Spoiler: ShowHide
Referring to the Howard plot. Strangely, I can't even remember how their beef started. Was it something about Chuck? Or he mistreated Kim in some way, right? I don't know. It feels like a cat-and-mouse thing that's just there to synchronize with the cartel plot.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on May 11, 2022, 07:05:44 AM
My issue is that:

Spoiler: ShowHide
I don't care about Gus. I don't. There was a five minutes scene of Gus being stressed out early in Ep 5 and I was thinking: Is that it? Nothing new, no nuance: just Gus being scared and us waiting with the characters for something to happen. But I'm not invested in Gus, and even if I didn't know about his fate in Breaking Bad, I wouldn't care about his safety. This is why the tension feels hollow to me.

I loved Nacho, and I realize how important he was for that show; it's when Nacho and Mike started to interact that I started to love the mob dimension of the series. What happened made narrative sense. But I wish they'd repeated Nacho avoiding the Salamancas for a little longer if they intended to stall.

I've also no idea why Jimmy is upset at Howard. I'm not sure I care either. Not a good sign if I have to watch a YouTube recap to understand what's going between them. Or why it even matters.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on May 17, 2022, 03:28:18 PM
Quote from: Drenk on May 11, 2022, 12:57:14 AMDon't get me wrong, they could craft a thrilling scene of a person cooking pasta or doing their laces, so I'm still entertained—but I can taste filler.

This week, fancy three minutes montage of somebody making coffee.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on May 23, 2022, 11:30:24 PM
The payoff does not disappoint. Would definitely like to talk spoilers when people have caught up.

I feel somewhat validated now that a consensus has apparently formed about this season being unreasonably slow. But I think I would've been fine with the pace with more episodes at my disposal, whether binged, 2 at a time, or something like that. There's nothing wrong with the episodes themselves. It's the week-to-week stringing along that annoyed me.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on May 24, 2022, 07:50:31 AM
The episode was very good. Could it have been episode 4? Yes, easily. There was no particular reason to stretch it that much, and I'm not sure binge watching the episodes would make it better—I have no interest in watching them again. Actually, I believe it would be worse. The filler would be even more obvious.

About the ending:

Spoiler: ShowHide
I don't like the cliffhanger. It feels cheap to me. "Let's kill somebody we don't have use for in a shocking way at the last second of the mid-season finale." You don't even need to kill Howard for Lalo to be terrifying.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on May 25, 2022, 02:38:41 PM
Spoiler: ShowHide
The episode title "Plan and Execution" spoiled me a bit. It was still shocking of course, but I wasn't too surprised. And I'm still not sure how I feel about it. For Howard to be offed by a cartel superspy seems odd and incongruous. The two opposite story ends of the show colliding in that way just kind of reminded me how bifurcated the show can be at its worst.

Some potential plot holes that are nagging at me:

Why didn't Lalo just wait one minute for Howard to leave? Maybe he enjoys causing collateral damage, but he doesn't seem like one to take totally unnecessary risks.

Sincere question – what was the purpose of Lalo's mission in Germany? Couldn't he have accomplished the same thing simply by following Mike? It wouldn't have taken him long to identify the laundry as the location of the mysterious project.

I suppose Werner's guys wouldn't know the location anyway, so perhaps Lalo was getting the engineering details from them. But what do they actually know that would be helpful? Isn't it just a hole in the ground?
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on May 25, 2022, 06:50:44 PM
Spoiler: ShowHide
Nothing makes sense about Lalo's story. They were only delaying this moment by keeping him absent or far away. There's no reason for him to visit Jimmy, other than meta reasons: Jimmy is the protagonist of Better Call Saul and Lalo its antagonist. Also, Mile would have kept men at Jimmy's place—I don't see why the phone call would change things at all. I don't usually care about plot holes, but they reveal the lack of motivation for everything the character have been doing for the last seven episodes.

The death of Howard is very cheap. And I suspect the show to become moral in an annoying way. « Look at what you've done! He's dead because you've been bad to him! » Let's remember that Breaking Bad ended with Walter's redemption and a hero trip.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on May 25, 2022, 07:09:25 PM
Spoiler: ShowHide
To be fair, it's made clear that their resources are spread thin, so it kind of make sense that Mike pulls men from Jimmy's apartment. Although, I dunno, I would say as Lalo's lawyer he should always be a high priority. At least keep one person there. Does Gus really need an entire army at his house? Kind of a strange oversight by Mike.

I'm open to see what Lalo needs from Jimmy. No judgment on that yet.

If Howard needed to die, I'd rather it be a poisoning gone wrong or a car accident or something more related to the con. The way this unfolds, it relies on Howard and Lalo being at the same place in the same very small window of time.

Not to mention the salvaging of their plan relies on Jimmy running into the mediator at the liquor store. Lots of coincidences.

In terms of the show's morals, I think that's actually its strength right now. I was completely sold on the villainy of Jimmy and Kim as they smugly celebrated the destruction of someone's life. But as you say, we might be in for another sellout arc in the finale like Breaking Bad, where they preferred to deliver a compromised crowd-pleasing ending. That might actually work in BCS, though, if it's done in the Gene timeline.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on May 29, 2022, 08:17:44 AM
Spoiler: ShowHide
Thinking about it, I realize why I dislike Howard's death. It's because, yes, Saul and Kim doing their scams for the simple pleasure of doing them—a pleasure rooted in destruction—is interesting and troubling. But they had to punish them by killing Howard. Technically, it isn't their fault. Bad place at the bad moment. (Even if you've noticed that Lalo would have waited for Howard to leave the apartment.) But this is a narrative, and what I get from this narrative is: "Jimmy and Kim were being mean and therefore were punished because this is what happens to people being mean".


Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on May 29, 2022, 11:46:19 AM
Spoiler: ShowHide
I kinda disagree actually. This moreso demonstrates that the wrong people get punished; Howard in this case.

If anything, I think this might snap Kim out of her scamming phase and set her on the right path. I understand this should be a traumatic event for her, but considering that she does in fact have a piece missing, I'm not sure she's going to weep for Howard that much.

Also I take back what I said about Lalo. He has a history of needlessly killing bystanders just for fun. It's actually one of his signature things. And possibly why he won't survive.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: WorldForgot on June 16, 2022, 12:05:25 AM
Quote from: Drenk on May 17, 2022, 03:28:18 PM
Quote from: Drenk on May 11, 2022, 12:57:14 AMDon't get me wrong, they could craft a thrilling scene of a person cooking pasta or doing their laces, so I'm still entertained—but I can taste filler.

This week, fancy three minutes montage of somebody making coffee.

I loved this moment though cuz Howard's espresso is very meticulous - and then a few minutes later Clifford Main has to drink instant brew at the courthouse. You can connotate that juxtaposition in thematic wayz or just find it a funny contrast to the nature of 'law'z environs.

Spoiler: ShowHide
Mostly, I agree with y'all on the convenience of the Execution seeming facile. As a thematic beat, it definitely worked for me. Reminiscent of Hank's death but in a very different light of 'consequence' per the synethesis of Kim & Jimmy's vice and Lalo's penchant for revenge.


I just finished watching the episode so I don't have too much to opine other than the above, and that YOOO professor Nick Tanis got a shout-out. This front-half of the season is a perfect demonstration of suspense and character dimension. Tanis would be, and I'm sure is, proud of these two alumz.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on July 12, 2022, 09:03:36 AM
Unfortunately, I'm not enjoying the show anymore.

Really hollow spectacle and suspens, in my opinion.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: wilberfan on July 12, 2022, 10:56:08 AM
I'll eat  your share...still working for me.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on July 12, 2022, 05:26:57 PM
I thought it was a top-notch episode as well.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Kal on July 20, 2022, 12:07:13 PM
Boy I haven't been on here for a long time and forgot how cynical we can be.

TV writing and production in general has improved 100x since Xixax first started. We've always been great at looking for the plot holes and the nonsense in everything, but Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul have always been some of the best at making sense of their decisions. Even if we don't like the particular choices or outcomes, they are usually not sloppy.

I have been enjoying this last season especially because of these little moments, the cinematography, the twists, even predictable ones and ones where we already know the outcome. I think the writers continue to be smart and thoughtful, and the acting is wonderful.

This last episode was a great example of how quickly the pace changed from the previous two episodes, and how it all quickly seemed to change once again towards the end. The final 4 eps should be fun to watch.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: WorldForgot on July 20, 2022, 02:20:53 PM
I am terrified of this show these days. Moreso than Breaking Bad, even, it breaks my heart.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on July 20, 2022, 05:04:21 PM
The main story beats of the last episodes are*:

"I'm too sad to date"
"This isn't justice, this is revenge"
"We're bad for each other and make other people suffer"


You either believe this could be the trite ending of a soap opera from the eighties or that the cinematography elevates it.

I dislike how Gilligan & Co can't finish a story without doing whatever the Book tells you to do at the end of The Story, as if they somehow became haunted by Aaron Sorkin.

They refused to believe that Jimmy and Kim would find joy in their schemes without being (artificially) punished by the American storytelling machine. Doing that, they also sucked the joy out of the show for me because you've got characters feeling sorry for themselves or...breaking bad and the show judging them for it.

The same way they made Walter White, a narcissist who doesn't care about his family or "friends", feel sorry about himself at the end of Breaking Bad because, after all, he was Bad, instead of ending the show after season 4 when the guy was at the top, enjoying himself to death, and obviously terrifying his wife.

I believe Better Call Saul is way more interesting than Breaking Bad because Jimmy and Kim aren't cartoons; the moral world in which they evolved is way less obvious, way more murky. Well. It used to be.

Twenty years ago, The Sopranos was airing. This was a show about saying "Fuck you" to all the usual American tropes from television that David Chase hated. BCS in its last season is prestige TV, which means immaculate production value and the same stuff that Chase was hating, coming back with a vengeance because, hey, at least it looks good!

That said, the first scene I liked in weeks was when Kim had to talk to Howard's wife. Something complicated and thrilling, a real Kim moment in a season where she had nothing to do because the writers hate the idea of Kim because AN ENDING IS COMING.

*I'm not counting Gus hates the Salamancas and the Salamancas hate Gus, it has been 50% of the season so far.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: ono on July 20, 2022, 08:18:16 PM
Thread needs some rebalancing here.  I'm with Kal.  I too dislike the cynicism of this forum at times.  Smacks of sour grapes.  Last episode was a masterpiece.  It really left a bad taste in my mouth, and that was the point.  It was like we, the viewer, were broken up with.  That kind of a gut punch.  You missed something if you thought the gist of Gus's story was "I'm too sad to date."  He was celebrating, attempting to flirt with the sommelier he crushed on.  Then realized he couldn't get too close because of the decisions he made in his life.  It was all about endings for everyone in this story.  Not just Jimmy and Kim.  Mike realized he's just a gangster.  There's no good, no nobility, in his path.  Gus can't have a normal life.  He only allowed himself a second to breathe before reality came back to him.

Kim was the only one who did the smart thing.  She pulled herself out of an unhealthy situation in her way of atoning.  Maybe she went a bit too far, but can you fucking blame her?  One minute, you're fucking with a douche who was mean to you, just playing pranks with the mister, NBD.  The next minute said douche is dead on your apartment floor and you have to go shoot some librarian or the gangster who came back from the dead will cap hubby.  I love it.  And I can't wait to see what becomes of Kim.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: WorldForgot on July 20, 2022, 09:34:57 PM
Quote from: Drenk on July 20, 2022, 05:04:21 PMThey refused to believe that Jimmy and Kim would find joy in their schemes without being (artificially) punished by the American storytelling machine. Doing that, they also sucked the joy out of the show for me because you've got characters feeling sorry for themselves or...breaking bad and the show judging them for it.

The same way they made Walter White, a narcissist who doesn't care about his family or "friends", feel sorry about himself at the end of Breaking Bad because, after all, he was Bad, instead of ending the show after season 4 when the guy was at the top, enjoying himself to death, and obviously terrifying his wife.


Bro what, lmao. When was Kim ever going to find joy in treating life as frivolously as Jimmy does? Part of what this episode reinforced iz that Jimmy can move on past this, while underlining the question of whether Kim can or can't.

Because we know the 'eventual' trajectory of these characters, this show has always leaned on its 'supporting' cast to provide characters that give questions to its moral character. As a thematic plot and as character arcs.

Quote from: Drenk on July 20, 2022, 05:04:21 PMThat said, the first scene I liked in weeks was when Kim had to talk to Howard's wife. Something complicated and thrilling, a real Kim moment in a season where she had nothing to do because the writers hate the idea of Kim because AN ENDING IS COMING.


For sure agree that this iz where the show's mana thrives.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Kal on July 21, 2022, 01:32:32 AM
SPOILERS

This probably won't happen, but what if we see Future-Kim and she ends up being worse than Saul ever was? The only big mystery left for this show to answer before the end is what happened with Kim, because we know the fate of everyone else (other than maybe Jimmy post Saul post Gene that we've seen so far), and everyone has been so concerned that Kim dies, but I am wishing or hoping that she didn't die, and she didn't suddenly become a good person, a housewife, etc, but someone super sketchy or absolutely badass. Part of what I do love about this show is that we don't know, and there could be so many answers here. Even with Sopranos, we knew the paths were limited at the end. Same with BB even. Kim and Saul's endgame is completely TBD.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on July 21, 2022, 03:43:24 AM
Spoiler: ShowHide
My first idea was that Kim goes into law enforcement and is somehow involved in hunting Saul. That's probably too cheesy though.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: WorldForgot on July 26, 2022, 12:48:18 AM
How to spin a yarn ~

A con series where each pace feelz waywardly homebound.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on July 26, 2022, 05:59:26 AM
Absolutely loved that one. What a relief. One of their best. Turns out that getting rid of the retrograde cartel show that was poisoning their story was a liberation. I said that I felt like the previous episodes were sucking the joy out the show, it came back for me. Even the suspens was killing me; my heart rate was going way up at some point. There's something endlessly fascinating about Jimmy's addiction for that kind of schemes, and when you can share the rush it is television gold. Also, the fact that

Spoiler: ShowHide
...the department store is...untouched...as cosy as usual, despite the theft, is a very interesting thing to watch considering how much time in prison all three involved are risking, and more subversive than the last nine episodes combined.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: WorldForgot on August 09, 2022, 01:00:21 AM
Mmm, yes. Have a caper with your heartbreak.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on August 09, 2022, 01:22:06 AM
One of the series' weakest episodes followed by one of its strongest, imo. This was a great one from top to bottom. Full of the smallest brutal details and even some quirky delights.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: wilberfan on August 10, 2022, 12:19:23 PM
I started my first-ever rewatch of BREAKING BAD a week or so ago. Last night I binged [checks notes] FIVE episodes from Season 2--hitting "Better Call Saul" (S02E08) just before bedtime.

Incredibly satisfying to hit that point and close the circle after the recent "Breaking Bad" episode of BCS.

In the intervening 14 years I've forgotten so much of it--it's almost like a fresh watch--but with the advantage of just enough familiarity to make things easier to follow this time. It's also a different (better?) experience to see episodes closer together than once-a-week--or to have to wait months for a new season.

Might actually be enjoying it more this time than the first pass!

[edit] And yes, it's already occurred to me that by the end I might be ready to revisit BCS as well...  It might very well turn into something akin to painting the Golden Gate Bridge...
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on August 10, 2022, 01:31:46 PM
Bryan Cranston's acting makes Breaking Bad unwatchable for me now; I've never thought that what he did was great acting, or even particularly good, but I can't stand it today. It's cringe inducing.

I rewatched Ozymandias recently and it was painful.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on August 10, 2022, 01:36:30 PM
Quote from: Drenk on August 10, 2022, 01:31:46 PMBryan Cranston's acting makes Breaking Bad unwatchable for me now; I've never thought that what he did was great acting, or even particularly good, but I can't stand it today. It's cringe inducing.

I rewatched Ozymandias recently and it was painful.

What about it is bad? Too exaggerated/theatrical?
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on August 10, 2022, 01:53:24 PM
Quote from: Jeremy Blackman on August 10, 2022, 01:36:30 PM
Quote from: Drenk on August 10, 2022, 01:31:46 PMBryan Cranston's acting makes Breaking Bad unwatchable for me now; I've never thought that what he did was great acting, or even particularly good, but I can't stand it today. It's cringe inducing.

I rewatched Ozymandias recently and it was painful.

What about it is bad? Too exaggerated/theatrical?

He's not bad-bad, but his acting is distracting. I should rewatch another episode because Ozymandias is, obviously, very dramatic so he's doing A LOT.

Overacting as a way to be critical about acting never satisfied me because, for example, Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood can be described as overacting, but I find him perfect in this movie.

Cranston is, yes, too theatrical in the sense that he looks like he's playing for somebody at the back of a theater. Every movement is big, every expression is The Expression at its Biggest Intensity (Angry or Sad), and nothing can be simple because this is a Drama. He's like this moment in the Magnolia documentary where PTA parodies PSH.

That said: Walter White being bad at being a "bad guy" (a bad actor in a way) makes it work sometimes.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: WorldForgot on August 15, 2022, 12:53:45 PM
(https://i.ibb.co/r4pMxgK/kim-s1e1.webp)

https://twitter.com/BetterCallSaul/status/1559182119909240832
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: Drenk on August 16, 2022, 03:52:43 AM
Spoiler: ShowHide
As pristine an execution of a mediocre ending as can be, but that was to be expected.

I can't wait for the next spin-off ending with yet another monologue of the main character admitting their sins at the end of the show in order to be punished/saved/redeemed.

Maybe a cop will throw a Hallelujah, too.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: WorldForgot on August 16, 2022, 10:30:20 AM
Spoiler: ShowHide
This was kinda like the Seinfeld finale! Kidding.

Jimmy's 'this is how they get ya' pacing back and forth made me so sad for him. I'm glad Kim was able to be gracious.
Title: Re: Better Call Saul
Post by: WorldForgot on August 17, 2022, 05:01:13 PM
A 'tell' from Breaking Bad that became fate in BCS;
Spoiler: ShowHide
https://twitter.com/PickYourBrian/status/1559694540889460737